DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle performed at Leeds City Hall in late 1987. They were to play three pieces of music. The piece I went to listen to was Grieg’s Piano Concerto, which I was forced to listen to in my music class at school, but also to be played was an overture by an Italian composer I had never heard of, which was to be played first, and the final piece was a symphony by a Russian composer I had never heard of, which I thought would probably be dark and gloomy and perhaps boring. My thoughts were, well, the overture will be over in a jiffy, then it’s the Grieg piano concerto I wanted to listen to most, and then I can always stay for the first movement of the symphony by that Russian geezer and if it’s shit I’ll leave and meet up with my mates for a few Saturday night beers.

That symphony was Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich.

I was totally blown away, and after the first 30 seconds after those bold opening bars I was on the edge of my seat and remained there until the final note had been played.

For the next two to three years I listened to music by Shostakovich constantly. When I came home at 1am after a night out I would put my headphones on and listen to either symphony no.5, 7, 8 or 10, or one of the piano concertos. I also read about his life, and through that gained a good understanding of what Russia was like under Illuminati agent Stalin, though I had never heard of the Illuminati by then.

Shostakovich opposed Stalinism, and Stalin would have killed him if Shostakovich was not so well loved by the Russian people. That knock on the door at 4am was always expected. When Stalin died Shostakovich wrote my favourite Symphony No. 10, in which Shostakovich celebrated Stalin’s death and gave the dead Stalin the two fingers while Shostakovich danced on Stalin’s grave, but always with the sobering thought, “Yes, Stalin may be dead, but who will replace him?...”

It is through Shostakovich that I have developed an interest in Russia, which some may think qualifies me as a traitor or agent. I am neither, and I have no interest in becoming one or t’other.

I just want this world to be rid of the scum who have made this world what it is today. Shostakovich stood up to one of their genocidal agents and was a pain in his arse, and for that and his music Shostakovich was arguably The Man of the 20th Century.