Testimony by Dmitri Shostakovich
'A terrifying and unhappy book...' The Guardian This astounding self-portrait covering the whole of Shostakovich's life (1906-1975) was prepared in collaboration with the distinguished Soviet musicologist Solomon Volkov. With the composer's consent, the manuscript was smuggled out of Soviet Russia - but Shostakovich, fearing reprisals, stipulated that the book should not appear until after his death. Ever since its publication in 1979 it has been the subject of controversy, some suggesting that Volkov invented parts of it, but most affirming that it revealed a profoundly ambivalent Shostakovich which the world had never seen before - his life at once triumphant and tragic. Either way, it remains indispensible to an understanding of Shostakovich's life and work. Testimony is intense and fiercely ironic, both plain-spoken and outspoken.
"'I do not know of a musician who will not read it with compassion and admiration' Andre Previn"
Solomon Volkov is a musicologist and the author, most recently, of St. Petersburg: A Cultural History.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780571227921 |
| ISBN 10 | 0571227929 |
| Title | Testimony |
| Author | Dmitri Shostakovich |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year published | 2005-07-07 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |