Rating: 
Summary: An indispensable document
Review: Testimony is 276 pages of a "shackled genius" (as Solzhenitsyn described him) being truly and 100% candid for the first time in his adult life. Compiled through interviews with the much-maligned Solomon Volkov, Shostakovich requested that they be published "after my death, after my death" for good reason.
For the more casual reader, a fabulous read; gripping, powerful, shattering. And educational, too.
For the historian or musicologist, one sees through "Testimony" the society Shostakovich and his colleagues lived in, and composed in.
For the musician, the groundwork is laid for gaining insight to Shostakovich the person, and thus the basic aspects of the composer's music: bitterness, sarcasm, satire, quotation, and a very direct, pointed language.
To consider the controversy regarding this book's "authenticity," I direct your attention to Ho & Feofanov's "Shostakovich Reconsidered," which is a truly enlightening work, both about "Testimony" and Shostakovich in general. Elizabeth Wilson's book is remarkable, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting as a reading, thought it seems to be a fake
Review: The fact that Volkov never answered to Laurel Fay, who suggested (in "Shostakovich vs. Volkov: whose Testimony", "The Russian Review", October 1980:484-493) that Volkov had "invented" this book seems to prove "Testimony" is not really the memories of Shostakovich, but something else. May be Shostakovich thought this way, but there is no evidence proving these are actually his thoughts. For the interested person "Shostakovich Studies," ed. by David Fanning (1995), and "Shostakovich: A life remembered" by E. Wilson (1994) are very good readings. "The New Shostakovich," by Ian MacDonald (1990), is largely speculative. "Shostakovich, the man and his music," ed. by C. Norris, though is already outdated (1982) includes very interesting contributions, some of them very biased. The biography of Shostakovich written by the Polish composser K. Meyer probably is vey interesting, but I did not heard it is available in English (it was published in German and perhaps French originally, I think). José A. Tapia
Rating:
Summary: It's All There In The Music
Review: There is no question that this book represents the authentic
thoughts of Dmitry Shostakovich (DDS), the greatest composer of the Twentieth Century. There is no question his music is the one the most profound artistic forms of dissidence against the evil regime of the USSR that was ever produced. It is all there in the music, and as DDS himself said "He who has ears, will hear!"
Some examples:Symphony No. 4 - written in 1936, after the horrors of farm collectivization and the first 5-year plan ("2+2=5"). Opens with a shriek of pain and is very cacophanous.
Symphony No. 5 - written in 1937, the height of the Great Terror.
Ends what seems to be triumphant note (like a speech which ends with "Long Live Comrade Stalin and the Communist Party of the USSR!"), but if played correctly, sounds like someone is being beaten over the head and told to rejoice against his will.
Symphony No. 7 - The famous "Leningrad symphony" has a march tune which ignorant apparatchiks said represents the approach of the German Army, but since it is in a major key and is most definitely NOT a military march, really represents the sweetness and light that Communism promises at first, but which later ends up becoming a nightmare.
Symphony No. 8 - The third movement represents (in my opinion) an agitprop session beating propaganda into people's heads.
Symphony No. 9 - written at the end of the war, instead of being a grotesque paean of praise to Stalin as was expected, has a light, humorous opening saying the joke is on all those who thought the situation in the USSR would improve after the war.
Symphony no. 12 - a piece in "praise" of Lenin. Sounds "bad"
and uninspired, but that was DDS's intention in saying what he really thinks about Lenin.
Symphony No. 13 - the "Babi Yar" symphony, openly dissident work
condemning state and personal anti-Semitism. In this book, DDS tells us what he was trying to say in these pieces and others. His courage along with his self-admitted weaknesses make him a compelling figure in history. Read this and see how a hero coped living in one of the most nightmarish regimes in history.
Rating:
Summary: It's All There In The Music
Review: There is no question that this book represents the authentic
thoughts of Dmitry Shostakovich (DDS), the greatest composer of the Twentieth Century. There is no question his music is the one the most profound artistic forms of dissidence against the evil regime of the USSR that was ever produced. It is all there in the music, and as DDS himself said "He who has ears, will hear!"
Some examples: Symphony No. 4 - written in 1936, after the horrors of farm collectivization and the first 5-year plan ("2+2=5"). Opens with a shriek of pain and is very cacophanous.
Symphony No. 5 - written in 1937, the height of the Great Terror.
Ends what seems to be triumphant note (like a speech which ends with "Long Live Comrade Stalin and the Communist Party of the USSR!"), but if played correctly, sounds like someone is being beaten over the head and told to rejoice against his will.
Symphony No. 7 - The famous "Leningrad symphony" has a march tune which ignorant apparatchiks said represents the approach of the German Army, but since it is in a major key and is most definitely NOT a military march, really represents the sweetness and light that Communism promises at first, but which later ends up becoming a nightmare.
Symphony No. 8 - The third movement represents (in my opinion) an agitprop session beating propaganda into people's heads.
Symphony No. 9 - written at the end of the war, instead of being a grotesque paean of praise to Stalin as was expected, has a light, humorous opening saying the joke is on all those who thought the situation in the USSR would improve after the war.
Symphony no. 12 - a piece in "praise" of Lenin. Sounds "bad"
and uninspired, but that was DDS's intention in saying what he really thinks about Lenin.
Symphony No. 13 - the "Babi Yar" symphony, openly dissident work
condemning state and personal anti-Semitism. In this book, DDS tells us what he was trying to say in these pieces and others. His courage along with his self-admitted weaknesses make him a compelling figure in history. Read this and see how a hero coped living in one of the most nightmarish regimes in history.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest composer of the 20th century tells all.
Review: This is one of those rare autobiographies that one can return to again and again, dive into at any place, and come away with absolute jewels of insight about music, modern Russian history, and glimpses of one of the transcendent geniuses of the 20th century. Shostakovich's stories about Glazunov, his mentor and literal savior, are worth the price of the book alone. There is so much more! Shostakovich created such great art over so long a time with the full knowledge it could result in torture and a bullet in the back of his neck at any moment. This represents a sustained act of courage we in overfed and peaceful America cannot understand. He was a yurodivye - a divine and crazy fox.
Rating:
Summary: Certainly one of the best books I have ever read.
Review: This scathing endictment of the soviet union we never saw takes its place not only as a book of great interest, but great importance. Very well written, intellectually stimulating, and a valuable window into the life of one of the great artists of the twentieth century, this book takes its place on my shelf as my personal favourite.
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