Shostakovich

Shostakovich (1908 - 1975)

Shostakovich was unfortunately always living under the Stalinist regime, which completely shaped his music. There were ridiculous amounts of censorship and control over the arts during Stalin's time, and Shostakovich couldn't really develop into what he wanted to break out of, so he developed into it. There is deffinitily a certain degree of opression which can be heard in his music, the sonatas and the preludes and fugues. He copied Bach, 48 P's and F's, two in each key.

The D minor prelude and fugue from the second book (Op. 87) is the best, and last one. In one word it is simply:

Epic

Good piece, a very strong sense of power behind the music. The Prelude especially. It begins very chordal and grows into passionate orgasims. The fugue begins simple, but like the prelude grows. The subject begins with perfect 4ths, A - D, A - D.. etc. It sounds heart-wrenching as it develops. Beautiful.