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A towering figure in the story of 20th-century classical music, Dmitri Shostakovich was, along with his near-contemporary Sergei Prokofiev<\/a><\/strong>, one of the most significant Russian composers of the Soviet era. Shostakovich’s musical legacy is huge and endlessly varied – however, it’s possible to spot some key threads running through his work. There is often, for example, a subtle mix of sardonic wit and sincere emotion, along with a particular blend of traditional and modern musical techniques and schools of thought. <\/p> Dmitri Shostakovich was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist. He was one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century. His 15 symphonies and, even more so, his 15 string quartets cross a vast emotional terrain and harness a fascinating variety of musical styles.<\/p> Like Mahler<\/a><\/strong>, whom Shostakovich much admired, Shostakovich used different musical techniques. He often displayed sharp contrasts and mixed disparate moods such as bleakness and grotesquerie. <\/p> Famously, and somewhat awe-insiringly, Shostakovich managed to produce an outstanding body of work while being closely and often suspiciously monitored by the Soviet authorities. However, life as a composer in 20th-century Russia was never likely to be easy, and Shostakovich endured a tense, often dangerous relationship with the Soviet regime. One example is his charming, Haydn<\/a><\/strong>-esque Ninth Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, which the authorities found to be a wholly frivolous, underwhelming reaction the the end of the Second World War and Russia’s part in defeating Nazism.<\/p>Who was Shostakovich?<\/h2>