Podcast
American History Tellers
This was a symphony composed by Dmitry Shostakovich while he was a resident of Leningrad during the siege. The work came to symbolize the resistance of the Soviet people, and the authorities decided to perform it inside the besieged city itself.
During the first weeks of the German invasion, composer Dmitry Shostakovich began writing a symphony he titled Leningrad. As a resident of the city, he continued composing his music even as bombs fell...
— Episode: History Daily: The End of the Siege of L...
Episode: History Daily: The End of the Siege of Leningrad
This was a symphony composed by Dmitry Shostakovich while he was a resident of Leningrad during the siege. The work came to symbolize the resistance of the Soviet people, and the authorities decided to perform it inside the besieged city itself.
During the first weeks of the German invasion, composer Dmitry Shostakovich began writing a symphony he titled Leningrad. As a resident of the city, he continued composing his music even as bombs fell around him.
And although the symphony was completed outside Leningrad, the work came to symbolize the resistance of the Soviet people, so authorities decided to perform it inside the besieged city itself.
In his symphony, inspired by the city, composer Dmitry Shostakovich promised that after all Leningrad suffering, victory would one day come, and he was right.