The composer himself never matched the joy, optimism and boldness of his first teenage symphony, as the chill of Stalinism settled on his music ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Some content could not load. Check your internet connection or browser settings. This year marks 50 years since ...

After composing an operatic adaptation of “Macbeth” that displeased Stalin, the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich told a friend: “Even if they cut off both my hands, I shall continue to write music ...

An artful mix of archival footage, classical music and spoken selections from the composer's letters and diaries, "A Journey of Dmitry Shostakovich" may strike a responsive chord with venturesome auds ...

Our critic tracked one concert, from its first rehearsals to its first performance. Practice is only part of what makes this ensemble excellent. By David Allen Banned for decades in the Soviet Union ...

On Jan. 28, 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich woke up to read a sternly worded condemnation of his music in the official Soviet newspaper, Pravda. Never mind that the work in question (his opera “Lady Macbeth ...

“I think that it is clear to everyone what happens in the Fifth (Symphony),” says the composer Dmitri Shostakovich in his memoirs. “The rejoicing is forced, created under threat, as in ‘Boris Godunov.

Our critic tracked one concert, from its first rehearsals to its first performance. Practice is only part of what makes this ensemble excellent. By David Allen Banned for decades in the Soviet Union ...

In 1935, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote music for what seemed to be a happy-go-lucky ballet. But the official Soviet response was to condemn Shostakovich, and to kill one of his creative colleagues. The ...

With hundreds of exhibitions and events vying for your attention in London during Frieze week, Apollo’s editors pick out the shows they don’t want to miss ...