The essence of Shostakovich can be found in THIS work

[Lilas Pastia]

Since I believe Shostakovich is truly a multi-faceted musical personality and can't be summed with one composition, I nominate Symphony No. 8 as a work that shows him making an honest musical statement. This symphony was also a work that proved to be unpopular and was even banned I believe for eight or nine years. I consider it one of Shostakovich's greatest works.

It's also my favourite Shostakovich work, bar none - warts and all. Its grandiloquence is so sincere (it bleeds sincerity) that I am gripped every time. And frightened. And shaken to the marrow by the savagery of the second scherzo.

[Mirror Image]

It's also my favourite Shostakovich work, bar none - warts and all. Its grandiloquence is so sincere (it bleeds sincerity) that I am gripped every time. And frightened. And shaken to the marrow by the savagery of the second scherzo.

For me, Symphonies 4-11 can hardly be bettered. These are symphonies that I adore and that show all of the sides to Shostakovich's personality. From the shattering beauty of the Largo of the 5th to the circus romp of the Presto movement of the 6th to zany, comical antics of the Allergo movement of the 9th to the diverse sound-world of the Moderato movement of the 10th, these symphonies, for me, reveal Shostakovich's incredible ability as a composer. Some critics have said Shostakovich was a one-sided composer. That doom and gloom permeate most of his music. I say actually listen to the music and get familiar with his range as a composer. The man could compose anything he wanted and had all the skill and technique to do just that, but what I admire most is beyond anything technical in his music, it speaks loudly with a heartfelt ingenuity that I don't always get from other composers. There's no hiding or ducking under anything in Shostakovich's music. He laid it all out there for the listener to interpret. We must come to our own conclusions about the music. In music as layered as Shostakovich's, it's easy to make assumptions and take guesses about what motivated him to write music the way he did, but the wonderful thing about it all is we'll never know and this is one of the most wonderful aspects of his music for me.

[Lilas Pastia]

For me, Symphonies 4-11 can hardly be bettered. These are symphonies that I adore and that show all of the sides to Shostakovich's personality. From the shattering beauty of the Largo of the 5th to the circus romp of the Presto movement of the 6th to zany, comical antics of the Allergo movement of the 9th to the diverse sound-world of the Moderato movement of the 10th, these symphonies, for me, reveal Shostakovich's incredible ability as a composer. Some critics have said Shostakovich was a one-sided composer. That doom and gloom permeate most of his music. I say actually listen to the music and get familiar with his range as a composer. The man could compose anything he wanted and had all the skill and technique to do just that, but what I admire most is beyond anything technical in his music, it speaks loudly with a heartfelt ingenuity that I don't always get from other composers. There's no hiding or ducking under anything in Shostakovich's music. He laid it all out there for the listener to interpret. We must come to our own conclusions about the music. In music as layered as Shostakovich's, it's easy to make assumptions and take guesses about what motivated him to write music the way he did, but the wonderful thing about it all is we'll never know and this is one of the most wonderful aspects of his music for me.

Hurrah ! Hard to better this, MI . Shostakovich's honesty as a composer triumphed and showed through all the genres he attempted. His single greatest quality is that, whatever his circumstances and the very real risks he lived through daily as a citizen and an artist, he remained true to himself and to his fellow brethren. That it can be heard loud and clear in his compositions throughout his life is a tribute to his facility as a composer and his greatness as a human being.

[Mirror Image]

Hurrah ! Hard to better this, MI . Shostakovich's honesty as a composer triumphed and showed through all the genres he attempted. His single greatest quality is that, whatever his circumstances and the very real risks he lived through daily as a citizen and an artist, he remained true to himself and to his fellow brethren. That it can be heard loud and clear in his compositions throughout his life is a tribute to his facility as a composer and his greatness as a human being.

Thanks and I completely concur!