For one, he was a collaborator, the artistic conscience for others during the Stalinist terror: despite its traditional and simple catchy style we still do not know who he really was. In 1936 Shostakovich came into conflict with Stalin himself because of too bold opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Forced composer decided to conform to the regime: his Fifth Symphony the following year bore the subtitle:
"The reaction of the Soviet Artist to legitimate criticism." To Shostakovich developed a simple style worker cultural uplift; at the same time he managed to create huge load voltage curves with this accessible material. Ostensibly so the composer deferred to the wishes of power, yet there is very little music that the suffering of the Russian people in such a penetrating way has been able to fathom. (HJ)more
