Classical music may seem a world apart from revolutionary politics — but it isn’t.
The legacy of Dmitri Shostakovich has been the subject of a veritable war of interpretations in the half-century since his death. As an opponent of Stalin’s regime, he is often portrayed as an anti-communist, opposed to everything the USSR stood for. Others, noting his decision to remain in the Soviet Union and compose works that resonated with the needs of society, paint him as a Stalinist stooge — a puppet of the CPSU.
Neither of these portrayals is even remotely accurate.
In this talk, Peter Kwasiborski, leading member of the RCP, will explore the life and music of Shostakovich — and his true legacy: that of the musical conscience of the genuine ideals of the October Revolution. A legacy that should be upheld and cherished by the Bolsheviks of today.
Reading list
Articles
- Alan Woods – “Shostakovich, the musical conscience of the Russian Revolution” (English) (French)
- Peter Kwasiborski – “Shostakovich’s ‘Anti-formalist Rayok’: A scathing satire of Stalin’s cultural crimes” (English)
- Peter Kwasiborski – “Shostakovich’s 11th – ‘The Year 1905’” (English)