Shostakovich: Art under Authoritarianism
Culture cannot be viewed separately from social and political developments, especially in Russia. Artists respond to political developments, while at the same time being used, abused and oppressed by those in power. How do you work and create art in a country that is oppressed? In this programme, the Eliot Quartet guides the conversation with music of Dmitri Shostakovich. Towards the end, the work of Shostakovich will be discussed with Lev Akopian. The Eliot Quartet concludes the evening with a concert.
Shostakovich: Art under Authoritarianism
Shostakovich: Art under Authoritarianism
Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, lived during the Sovjet-era and the Second World War. Although he was initially celebrated by the Soviet government as a symbol of Soviet culture, he fell out- and back into of favor multiple times and faced intense pressure and censorship from the Soviet authorities. 1936 marked the beginning of the Great Terror, in which many of Shostakovich’s friends and relatives were imprisoned or killed.
His life and work demonstrate the complex and fraught relationship between artists and political authority in a totalitarian society. Lev Akopian will guide us through his work, the Eliot Quartet will engage in his lecture by playing examples and the evening will end with a concert.