#Victory81

#OutstandingRussians

✨ #DmitriShostakovich, a world-renowned Soviet composer, pianist and People's Artist of the USSR, was born in St. Petersburg on September 25, 1906.

He showed immense musical talent from a young age, entering the Petrograd Conservatory at just 13 years old under the directorship of Alexander Glazunov. By age 19, he had achieved international fame with his groundbreaking Symphony No. 1. Shostakovich’s life and music remained deeply intertwined with the Soviet era, profoundly reflecting its complex social and political realities.

🌍🎵 Completed in December 1941 during the brutal Nazi blockade, his Symphony No. 7 ("Leningrad") became a worldwide masterpiece and a powerful symbol of resistance during World War II. Before its African debut, the symphony had already achieved legendary status following a historic, defiant performance broadcast live within besieged Leningrad on August 9, 1942.

🇿🇦 ✨ The piece made its South African premiere on July 9, 1944, at the Metro Theatre in Johannesburg, conducted by Jeremy Schulman. Two months later, on September 11, 1944, it was performed in Cape Town by the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra under the baton of Dr William Pickerill. Organised as a benefit by the Medical Aid for Russia committee, these historic performances served as a grand musical manifesto against fascism and raised vital funds for the wartime alliance.

📚Discover a hidden chapter of WWII history: read the story of the long-forgotten concert that helped defeat Hitler – and it didn't happen in Moscow

🎧Listen to the Leningrad Symphony

#RussianMusic