Dmitri Shostakovich – An Anniversary Memoir

Summer 2025 marks 50 years since the loss of one of the most consequential composers in history: Dmitri Shostakovich. To commemorate the occasion, Peter van de Graaff hosts a special two-hour exploration of the man and his music, through the eyes of people who knew him and worked with him. Interview moments with artists including Rudolf Barshai, Elisabeth Leonskaya, Mstislav Rostropovich, Kurt Sanderling, Thomas Sanderling, Maxim Shostakovich, and Grigori Spektor – and the voice of Dmitri Shostakovich himself – bring us close to the realities of one of the most profound composers of the modern era. This fascinating journey through Shostakovich’s life also samples a wide range of his music including excerpts from many of his symphonies, his operas The Nose and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the Violin Concerto No 1, the Piano Quintet, and the Piano Trio No 2.