Dmitri Shostakovich filmed in 1975 during rehearsals

[fool1shmortal]

Is there an article about what the concert is about.

[mrvishal1000]

wow i just cry when i see him...

[tanksearcher]

He is the greatest artistic genius of the 20th century. No one else is even close. His work will only increase in value to humanity over time.

[band3kafsh]

Could you please upload this again with correct synchronisation between picture and sound? The bad synch is really distracting.

[Flutist11]

I would probably want to have met Shostakovich rather than Stravinsky. Shostakovich would have been much happier to talk to me about Glazunov and what he was like, and Stravinsky would have said only a bunch of mean things. Prokofiev would have been the 2nd best source of information, he admired Glazunov too, in a certain fashion.

[achim56nrw]

A sensitive an shy genius. I love his 11th symphonie most. John Neumeier has choreographed his "Nijinsky" including this symphonie. It was really a great experience to watch it live at Hamburger Staatsballet with this wonderful music.

[formeliandialogue]

In a DVD entitled: Shostakovich Against Stalin, Tolstoy comments that Shostakovich didn't remember anything prior to the 1917 Revolution, but this is incorrect. Shostakovich, in his memoirs clearly states that he remembers the Cossacks (pre-1917) shooting boys out of a tree, then bayoneting them until they were completely dead and mauled. He also states that he has socialist tendencies i.e in favour of Marxism/Leninism so he was no enemy of the people. 

[formeliandialogue]

Solomon Volkov sitting to the right of Shostakovich at 1:40 onwards. Volkov wrote a great foreward about Dmitri in a book revealing Shostakovich's own penned thoughts and memoirs. I can't remember the name of the book, but it's a very good read if you really want to know what the great composer thought about Stalin and those that stabbed Shostakovich in the back just to appease Old Joe.

[MultiGargiulo]

@formeliandialogue What are you saying? that man is Gennady Rozhdestvensky!

[peppersax]

My favorite composer in the entire world!!! What a brain this man had! All it takes for me is one note to know that Dimitri composed a piece. WOW!!! I'm always blown away by hearing this great composer. Why only 39K views when Lady Ga Ga receives 35 million???

[petezilla]

@peppersax Yea because Lady Gaga is average, and people are obsessed with thinking that average is greatn and the rest is kookery or crap old people and nerds and gay people listen to. How ironic that the discrimination Shostakovich suffered in Communist Russia continues presently in a converse apathetic/populist form of descrimination in Democratic America!

[koreankayagum]

@petezilla Unfortunately people are inundated with crap from a young age. It's hard to get away from radios and piped-in music everywhere, not to mention the difficulties of adolesence, when kids are the most impressionable. This is not to slight all pop music, as I like some of it. In this country jazz and classical are often seen as something highbrow/snobbish. Kids should be taught about these two forms from a young age, and I don't mean just one little music appreciation class.

[koreankayagum]

@petezilla Also, the purveyors of crappy music must sense that it's garbage, even if it's on an unconscious level. That's why they focus so heavily on lights, dancers, T and A, etc. to attract/keep people's attention and confuse them.

[FrenchHornsAreAwesom]

Man.... if only i was born earlier and had a chance to meet him... that would be the best thing in the world...

[JustJim70118]

It is a travesty that he had to endure criticism and shame for alleged "formalism" and other activities inconsistent with Stalin's vision. Thank God for Stalin's death.

[missjacko1]

A very humble Man.

[peppersax]

@missjacko1 Amen!

[miloycamus]

este señor es un heroe nacional hubiera dado lo ke fuera por al menos haberlo visto en persona dios te tenga en la gloria DShostakovich

[BritinIsrael]

Will someone please translate what  this great man said????

[oncelostmain]

@BritinIsrael He remembering his practice in conservatory as a teacher, he believe, if a student has not a talant- no reason to teach him, its impossible even if the teacher is Beethoven... The film discover his human side, not professional, as film-goodbye...

[BritinIsrael]

@oncelostmain thanks for your translation. much appreciated.

[fabricks01]

Сросибо.

[Gresilde]

Can we have subtitles?

[Nitervol]

Wow their practicing his 15 symphony! i love that symphony. This is awesome.

[MarcheseCadmio88]

I see him in colours for the 1st time!!

[Maryak12]

Always young on camera.

[The9mahler]

wow

[EDGJZConglomerate]

who is that he is with at 2:10?

[leonsinhvien]

Gennady Rozhdestvensky

[MultiGargiulo]

To see him smiling, laughing... Well, incredible

[4Topwood]

To Phusics

Thank you very much for your translations.

[gregapage]

omg at 2:19 when he changes glasses, a totally different face!!!

[Gazpacho8]

@gregapage I kept pausing it there trying to get a look at him without the distortion of the glasses, I don't know why they never photographed him without them, he was obviously VERY near sighted.

[selaromyar]

Is there a English Subtitle to this clip? It will be great to understand what he is saying. Gain insight to a Master.

[Phusics]

OK, because there is not much to translate I'll try it :-) but sorry for my bad english:

Shosta(0:00-0:27): It depends on the talent of each student. Because if a person has no [musical] aptitude then even Beethoven himself can

teach him and it won't make sense. But if people are talented, if people are sensitive and have a quick perception then of course it is very pleasant.....

Maxim, his son(0:28): ..it was pleasant to teach them.

Shosta(0:30-0:31): ...was pleasant to teach;

[Phusics]

Shosta(0:31-0:39):

And I have wonderful memories concerning my own pedagogical occupation. So, I think that's all what I can...[tell you (?)]. If you take a look at photos which illustrate events....

Maxim(0:51):...of past years

Shosta(0:52-1:00): ...of past years, it's always enjoyable to take a look at them but on the other hand, it is also sad to see them.

Maxim(1:01): Thank you.

[Phusics]

Narrator(3:10-3:55):

Hero of the socialistic labour. Laureate of the "Lenin Prize" and the "USSR State Prize". Deputy of the USSR. Laureate of the "Order of Friendship of Peoples". "Commander" of the "French Order of Arts and Letters". Laureate of the "International Prize of Jean Sibelius". Honorary member the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Member of the Academy of Arts of German Democratic Republic. Honorary member of the Italian Academy of Arts. Honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music.

[Phusics]

Narrator(3:56-4:29):

Honorary doctor of the University of Oxford. Honorary professor of

the Mexican Conservatory. Honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Honorary member of the

Serbian Academy of Arts. Member of the Bavarian Academy of Arts. Honorary member of the Finnish Organisation of Composers. Laureate of the "Grand Decoration of Honour of Republic of Austria" [not the exact translation!!]. National artist of the Soviet Union.

Dmitri Dmitriyevich..... Shostakovich.

[klapsikopatiko]

thank you for the translation!

[pointreyes6]

@Phusics

He probably didn't give a toss about honours.

[AZNCUTIE999999]

Careful, meticulous, conscious, humble and wise yet nervous, angsty, withdrawn and frail. Pure genius.

[TERUKI26]

Он гений.

Моцарт

[vvsivakumar]

That is the counductor Gennady Rozhdeshtvensky at 1: 47 onwards

[TheGreatDissolve]

1:47 haha

[Phusics]

What is so funny at 1:47 ??? I watched it several times but noticed anything??

[ryanman51]

the guy was laughing at where shostakovich's hand was

[zevnikov]

Dmitri is the most bigest musical genius of all times. For me, he is on the top of musical world.

[Dissentient]

Totally agree with you!

[MaxxUS08]

Next to Stravinsky, the biggest musical genius of the 20th Century, folks. Period.

[mshakhz]

Prokofiev? Khachaturian?

Ravel? Debussy? Schoenberg? Webern? Ligeti?

the list goes on..

Let's not generalize, there were many great composers in 20th century ;)

[GBADCD]

For me Shostakovich and Oliver Messiaen are the best composer born in 20Th century. And I know the music of hundreds.

[vegatrev]

Thanks for posting, is that his son conducting?

[Will170392]

ignore, lol

[otoevst]

I love this 70's esthetique involved in this video. It is, however, painful to see the nervousness which can clearly be seen during this video.

[Will170392]

WOW! at 2:19 he changes his glasses - and for a split second you see the shostakovich without them! A completely different face altogether! that man was a genius, god bless shostakovich!

[gregapage]

omfg!

[jabberwock11]

The universe stated to blink out for a fraction of a second when he removed them. It's a good thing he changed them quickly.

[felipecaldebronx]

Thank for share!!!!!!!

[arsenstepanyan]

Very good video!!! thanks!!!

[DarthKrattus]

I know, but it looks as if he suddenly grew old. Almost as if he shouldn't be old.

[FrancescoGuardi]

Seems that you don't know much about his life...

[DarthKrattus]

No, I do. Getting harassed by the USSR, getting married and divorced, hating politics, drinking and smoking himself to death - it just seems so unfair that that stuff happened to such a great mind. My point was that he deserved a longer life, considering how full of energy he was.

[FrancescoGuardi]

I agree. But on the other side: can we imagine how he wouldt have been composing living in a free country without any fear ?

Maybe he wouldt have been one of the main avantgardists of his time,- but now he is an unique hero (to me at least...).

[alejoeisabel]

@DarthKrattus What you say may be true, but he was a devoted communist and thus an idealist. He joined the CP after Stalin died. He was mentored by Trotsky aide thus the animos of Stalin. His greatest composition is Synphony 12 when he was at his apex of life and most free. Revolutionary Petrograd. Lets not rewrite history. He was a genius who was a believer of Communism.

[oncelostmain]

I think, Shostakovich saw nothing else music... CP use him like an armour and proovement USSR high musical level, but for Shostakovich it was like childish game. He had all what he need: orcestras, solists, choruses and was satisfied

[BrainiacFingers]

Shostakovitch wasn't a devoted Communist. Don't be so naive. You want to talk about history, then be aware that throughout the Stalin years and beyond, history; facts and people were things to be manipulated.  Therefore, none of Shostakovitch's political pronunciations and affiliations should ever be taken at face value. He lived most of his adult life with an invisible gun pointed at his head, yes, even after Stalin died. You want truth, then I suggest you dig until you find the mass graves.

[alejoeisabel]

@BrainiacFingers He traveled to the west,and never sold out for thirty pieces of gold like many Russian musicians and dancers, talking about freedom but fulling their pockets with millions of dollars. Shostakovich was a humanist and idealist, Therefore, the Capitalist West had nothing to offer him. His father was an anti tzar Polish Anarchist who was exiled to Siberia. Listen to his 12th symphony carefully. A true underated masterpiece that expressed who he was.

[BrainiacFingers]

I wouldn't call escaping from one of the most barbaric dictatorships of the 20th century "selling out" to the west. It's unlikely Shostakovitch had the drive to attempt to defect to the west. Had he done so, his close friends and family would have suffered terrible retribution, maybe death, at the hands of Stalin and "The Party". This is undeniable. Under these circumstances It's highly unlikely that political ideology played any part in Shostakovich's failure to defect.

[africkle1]

You're wrong

[alejoeisabel]

@africkle1 OK. Tell me.

[africkle1]

Ok, I will.

First of all you are just simply spouting a lot of meaningless facts and organizations to prove your point, while at the same time rewording things to support your argument and in a sense 'rewriting' history. For one, Shostakovich specifically said to his wife in a letter that he was blackmailed into joining the communist party. Secondly he was not "mentored" by Trotsky (as you put it) Trotsky was a patron of his music...BIG difference. You also say that Shostakovich was the

[africkle1]

"animos" of Stalin... which is to say that he was the embodiment of what Stalin believed in.. Again 100% inaccurate, as Shostakovich clearly made fun of Stalin in everything he wrote until his life was threatened on two separate occasions where his music was denounced (he was also forced to make a public statement "admitting" that he was writing music against the people of Russia). To say his greatest composition is his 12th symphony (look at how I spelled it...because it's correct) is a matter

[africkle1]

of opinion. NOT fact at all.

You also just blurted out the words Revolutionary Petrograd..... Which makes no sense at all because that movement was over and done with when Shostakovich was only 11 years old. Again, you were just vomiting up an irrelevant group that existed, but makes absolutely no sense when said in context of Shostakovich and his political ideals.

Dmitri Shostakovich was in no way a believer IN communism.

The only correct statement you made was that he was a genius. BAM!

[Will170392]

i know what you mean - he looks drastically younger than this in photos from 1970 ish...

[PapagenoJuan]

russian genius

[apollomwj]

is the not a movie about his life? If not there deffinately should be.

[Symphony1inF]

the name of the movie about his life is Testimony,

also there is many documentaries

[tonyzebologna]

what's it called

[musicin37]

"Testimony", you may see it in my account

[therockhopper]

I love the part where he changes his thick glasses for his, um, thick glasses.

[SC2larry]

how old was he in this video

[DannyDaWriter]

73, I believe.

[erikstijnen]

69 to be precise

[ThaSchwab]

69. He died in 1975, so this probably wasn't long before his death.

[3fGilchrist]

he beat Stalin

[StoneFree000]

Dmitri Shostakovich changed my view on music, he basically changed my life when i discovered his music about 1 1/2 years ago. His String Quartet No 8 is unbelievable. Thank You Dimitri.

[Jafuet]

so...it is no surprise that meeting between him and Stravinsky in 1962 was such failure - they were such different persons

[kingstravinsky101]

nah, thye were probably jealous of each other. igor was jealous of scheonberg for years, and they even lived close together! but after scheonberg died, igor started writing in scheonberg's style! thanks to tim's advice

[anaklasis]

Recently I read E. Wilson's book "Shostakovich, a life remembered" and there is a testimony by Robert Craft, which tells that meeting. It's strange, because Stravinsky arrived to Moscow and suddenly said "but where is my Shostakovich?", but then he didn't talk so much. Only they chatted about Puccini and at the end Stravinsky gave Shostakovich a evil advice, telling him that "he should go beyond Mahler, as Schoenberg and Berg did". Shostakovich became nervous and said "yes yes, that's true".

[themouseofevil]

That was the year he died - he looks like he had a lot more years left in him. I wonder what his life would have been like if he was introduced into meditation. He would have been a much happier person

[Gazpacho8]

@themouseofevil Definitely not, he had lung cancer. He was probably already very ill here. He had a lot of health problems, he had polio, you can see how his right arm is disabled and he uses his left to help it when shaking hands, he had two heart attacks in the 60s and broke both legs in a fall.

[olga2809]

Great to hear him talking Russian. I wished my Russian was good enough to understand it!

Great to see him laughing, too.

[gnolti]

This is priceless material. The man himself, in very bad shape, but obviously still sharp as a knife.

[KABAZURNA]

Pleeeaasee SUBTITLES !!!

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

Learn Russian.

[kingstravinsky101]

we beat russia, they should learn english!!!!!!!!

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

A lot of them do.  Beat Russia in what?

[NESfan34]

I think he meant musically.

[DannyDaWriter]

Kind of ironic, considering his name is "kingstravinsky101"...

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

I was thinking the same thing, but you said it.

[Kurtyoungblood]

You are a moron.

[SupermansDead93]

um how? russia has bested us musically in every aspect.

Sure we had Stokowski and Bernstein as conductors, but they had Mravsinky and Rozhdestvensky.

our great composers? maybe Gershwin..

they had Shost, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Gasparov, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, the list goes on

and dont get me wrong, i love the Chicago, the new york, the San Fran, and the Philadelphia (they suck now, but they were good)

but NOTHING compares to the Leningrad phil under Mravinsky, period.

[Cockdick9]

There are hundreds of brilliant American composers. Ives, Reich, Copland, Cage, Carter, Davis, Coltrane, etc. And there are also hundreds of brilliant Russian composers as you have named. Each country and every country has special and wonderful artists to be enjoyed on their own terms. This isn't a dick-measuring contest - it's music. It becomes more enjoyable when you don't judge it too quickly.

[Jitpring]

Reject the dictatorship of relativism. There is indeed a hierarchy of reality. There is better and worse. Russia's musical heritage is infinitely superior.

[mahler71]

No, you're right about the composers. In Britain we can't compare to Russia, either,when it comes to great composers.

[SupermansDead93]

Uk is better than the US, at least u guys had Benjamin Britten Percy Grainger and Ralph Vaughn Williams

[primusInterpares75]

Here is the Man! The greastest composer of the XX century. Thank you Shosta for the 8th Symphony, my favorite.

[sudi1234]

I understand absolutely nothing of what he's saying, but he looks so sweet that I just want to hug him.

[clberka]

I wish this video had subtitles.

[VonRichter]

Shosty rules.

[crazypianistik]

rite before he died, if im calculating correctly. god hes adorable, may he rest in peace.

[woodyaan]

He is a sweet soul...