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Oct 2021
1h 4m

Shostakovich Symphony No. 11, "The Year ...

JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN
About this episode

In 1956, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote: "I am now writing my 11th symphony, dedicated to the First Russian Revolution...I would like in this work to reflect the soul of the people who first paved the way to socialism." Soviet loyalists were thrilled with the piece, but his friends were disappointed at this seemingly blatant act of propaganda. But quickly, a new and more subversive narrative emerged about this sprawling, cinematic, and elementally powerful symphony. Find out all about this masterpiece this week!

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