After World War II, Stalin, the absolute dictator of Soviet Russia, imposed Communist Party rule on Eastern European countries and tightened control over the arts within Russia.
Composition History
Shostakovich's Fourth String Quartet, Op. 83, composed in 1949, was not premiered until four years later due to the political climate.
Composer Biography
Dmitri Shostakovich, the composer, lived from 1906 to 1975.
Historical Context
During Shostakovich's life, totalitarian Communist rule in Russia directly influenced his work, though his chamber music often remained free from such domination.
Composition History
The Sixth String Quartet, Op. 101, was written for a commemorative concert by the Beethoven Quartet to mark Shostakovich's fiftieth birthday in 1956.
Composition History
Shostakovich's Eighth String Quartet, Op. 110, was directly inspired by his visit to the bombed city of Dresden in 1960 and was written in just three days.
Historical Context
In 1948, the Central Committee's Decree on Music publicly humiliated leading Soviet composers, including Shostakovich, for failing to appeal to 'the people'.
