It is nearly impossible to separate Dmitri Shostakovich from the Soviet government, Stalin, and politics throughout his lifetime. His career is full of ups and downs in respect to the government, ranging from praise to outright dismissal, as with his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District of 1934. Throughout his life, Shostakovich and his fellow Russian composers struggled with finding their musical identity while fearing labels such as formalist, which the government viewed as anti-Soviet or anti-socialist. Shostakovich was for the most part very smart in his choices and associations, however, and was able to balance propaganda works during the 1940’s while also producing works based on Jewish folk poetry at a time of rampant anti-semitism. He was not completely saved from controversy, however, since he joined the Communist party in 1960, a choice attributed by some scholars to blackmail and political pressure.
Politics aside, Shostakovich has earned a place in the symphonic, operatic, and chamber music repertory. His musical gift was obvious at an early age. He entered the Petrograd Conservatory at age 13, studying piano and composition with noted teachers such as Alexander Glazunov. While closely associated with the conductor Bruno Walter, who performed his early symphonies on many occasions, Shostakovich was an active concert pianist, winning numerous awards at competitions. His canon boasts fifteen symphonies and fifteen string quartets, along with many chamber works.
The popular Piano Quintet is in five movements, the second being a fugue. The instrumentation, as typical for the piano quintet medium, is for piano and string quartet. It was premiered by the Beethoven String Quartet with Shostakovich himself at the piano. It is the recipient of the Stalin Prize in the Arts, as are other works by him such as the Symphony no. 7.
-- Kyle Blaha