Symphony for the City of the Dead
Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
Ratings4
Average rating4.3
15
Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
Ratings4
Average rating4.3
National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson delivers a brilliant and riveting account of the Siege of Leningrad and the role played by Russian composer Shostakovich and his Leningrad Symphony. In September 1941, Adolf Hitler s Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history almost three years of bombardment and starvation that culminated in the harsh winter of 1943 1944. More than a million citizens perished. Survivors recall corpses littering the frozen streets, their relatives having neither the means nor the strength to bury them. Residents burned books, furniture, and floorboards to keep warm; they ate family pets and eventually one another to stay alive. Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who would write a symphony that roused, rallied, eulogized, and commemorated his fellow citizens the Leningrad Symphony, which came to occupy a surprising place of prominence in the eventual Allied victory.
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See my full review at The Emerald City Book Review. Finding the truth about the Soviet era is not easy, and Shostakovich's true thoughts and feelings are basically impossible to uncover, given his need to mask and conceal himself in order to survive. But Anderson brought clarity into a murky time while still allowing us to feel its painful ambiguity. I was not so enamored of the author's writing style, with its short, choppy sentences enlivened by the occasional hyperbolic statement or pop-culture reference. I'm not sure if this was meant as a gesture toward the book's intended audience, older teens and young adults, but I found it unfortunate and clumsy.
Still, I learned a tremendous amount about events of which I knew little and am even more impressed than ever by Shostakovich's ability to create under such circumstances. I also have to mention the stunning cover and excellent design overall. As with another new release from Candlewick that I enjoyed recently, The Hired Girl, the design is perfectly in tune with the contents, and I appreciate that attention to detail.
Took me forever to read because I had to take breaks from it. Feel the sheer density and intensity might turn away the intended audience, but that'd be a shame because it's so informative and interesting and well researched. The pictures truly add to the story. I've listened to some Shostakovich but now I'm intently listening with a new ear to the pieces Anderson talks about. Would be a great group read for a HS orchestra.
Just so fantastic. I learned so much about Shostakovich and Leningrad and Russia as a whole that I never knew. I have names of other people and things to learn about, and more of Shostakovich's music to listen to. Just so so good.
