#shostakovich | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

masonyin · 15 hours

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50 composers

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greekabooo · 1 year

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Alright let's settle this.

I have no regrets.

#polls #mozart #chopin #tchaikovsky #shostakovich #felix mendelssohn #not gonna put all of them in the tags cos I'm lazy #classical music #classical composers

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halemerry · 9 months

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So I was going through the season taking some screen caps for a different piece of meta when I stumbled on something interesting: the record Aziraphale listens to.

So in 1934, Shostakovich wrote an opera called Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. It was popular but after Stalin himself deemed the work corrupt he wound up banned by the Soviet Union. This had a huge impact of Shostakovich's life and was a very dangerous thing to have happen to you. There are even stories of him sleeping in stairwells to avoid arrest. So by 1937 he released the Symphony No. 5 in D minor. It is a piece written to get him back into the good grace of the authorities and as such it is informally called A Soviet Artist’s Practical and Creative Response to Just Criticism. This worked. Which on the surface makes sense but I urge you to go listen to this song. It starts out very angry. Then retracts itself into a very hesitant sonata. And then the music cuts into a harsh pattern of notes. It's cuts are jarring and there's something just slightly off in nearly all the melodies. Notably, most symphonies shift to a major key by the end. This one, despite spending a great deal of time leading up to the shift into one, refuses to. It's all false triumph. It's all about pretending to folk under the authority's pressure without actually making something that would glorify it. And it worked. Stalin approved of him again.

youtube

This was what Az was listening to. Az who is about to make a series of not quite right choices that to the right eyes look like him bowing back again under authority's pressure. He's listening to a song built to deceive those with power over the composer into letting him back into the fold. Whatever Metatron did to him and whether Aziraphale was magically and/or mundanely manipulated (I suspect and) I don't think it entirely took hold.

#good omens #good omens spoilers #gos2 spoilers #good omens season 2 #every day #the arrival #aziraphale #shostakovich #good omens meta

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sixty-silver-wishes · 10 months

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Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) in an interview with The Guardian:

#shostakovich #a series of unfortunate events #asoue #lemony snicket #daniel handler #classical music #dmitri shostakovich

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fuwbuki · 2 months

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"Russia has no good generals. The only exception is Bagration."

Pyotr Bagration (just imagine theres also chair and table)

Dmitry Shostakovich

This ones so stupid im sorry

JFKs "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech but in animal crossing? (i know the implication with the donut is not historically accurate but still... this ones even more stupid)

Charcoal Jared Harris as Hari Seldon i picked bc i wanted to practise beard, but kinda messed up his nose lol

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gojisaurus · 9 months

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classical composers in style of Clone High i did from 2020

#they don't look modern yes. it's on purpose #clone high #clone high oc #my art #chopin #tchaikovsky #shostakovich #rachmaninoff

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the-wine-dark-sea · 8 months

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So, why Shostakovich?

That's what I wondered, watching Aziraphale in Maggie's record shop.

Shostakovich is a rather recent composer for Aziraphale to listen to - I mean, he regards Glenn Miller as modern. I would have expected him to get something that's a more obvious choice - maybe one of the composers Crowley mentions early in S1? That would have been a nice nod to that scene. Why Shostakovich? So I read up on the man, and then I understood.

Because Shostakovich was a Soviet-era composer, and came into conflict with the regime more than once.

In 1936, his career took a massive hit after a campaign against one of his works, because the music was viewed as "deliberately dissonant" - it didn't conform to some people's idea of of what Soviet music should be like. He did not strictly adher to their narrow ideals and felt the consequences. (And he was lucky. He had friends and family who were killed during the Great Terror, which started around that time.)

This forced him to try and adept and eventually his career recovered.

He was denounced again 12 years later, during a wider campaign against Western influences on Russian music. He had to apologize, many of his works were banned and he and his family lost privileges.

In 1960, Shostakovich made a controversial decision: He joined the Communist Party. It is unclear why he did this, whether it was fear, political pressure or indeed his own free choice - though reportedly he was in tears afterwards and told his wife about having been blackmailed.

So we have a composer whose work was repeatedly marked as non-conforming to the regime he lived under, not living up to some arbitrary, propagandistic standard, even after he tried to adapt his style. And we have an angel who never quite fit in with Heaven, whose approach to the world and his work were seen as silly at best, who was admonished for the way he used miracles and eventually declared a traitor.

We have a composer who, for one reason or another, ended up joining the party that had punished and humiliated him in the past. And we have an angel who ends up going back to Heaven.

I get why Shostakovich was an obvious choice, after all. What I can't get over is the implication that WE WERE TOLD AS EARLY AS EP 1 THAT AZIRAPHALE WOULD REJOIN HEAVEN!?? EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD MAKE HIM SUFFER AND MIGHT NOT BE AN ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY DECISION EITHER?? The audacity (I love it) to put that out there right from the start, for everyone to see who only cared to look, when none of us would be paying too much attention to it on the first watch.

#it's so obvious really #I mean I got all this from a ten minute scroll through Shostakovich's Wikipedia entry #it's right there #Good Omens #Aziraphale #Dmitri Shostakovich #Shostakovich #meta

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scherzokinn · 1 year

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bussyplease · 8 months

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I made this a while ago on paint at midnight in a fever like state and needed to post it here

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pianogang · 1 year

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#music #musician #classical #composer #polls #schubert #bach #mozart #shostakovich #beethoven #debussy #tchaikovsky #rachmaninoff #chopin #i personally pick debussy #but rach is a close second

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blackswaneuroparedux · 1 year

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Football is the ballet of the masses.

- Dmitri Shostakovich

Dancers of the Bolshoi ballet backstage during a performance watching the Russian national team win a penalty shootout during the World Cup 2018.

#dmitri shostakovich #shostakovich #quote #bellet #dancer #ballerinas #bolshoi #foootball #sports #world cup #culture

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fuckyeahgoodomens · 9 months

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I want to start by saying thank you so much for running this blog! Also I'm writing this after an all-nighter so my apologies if it's not very comprehensible.

Just noticed something interesting I haven't seen anyone discuss but may be some good fodder for further speculation (one might even say a clue) - One of the early scenes in Season 2 Episode 1 Aziraphale takes a few records he says he requested from Maggie's store, apparently they're all by Dmitri Shostakovich, and the camera focuses on the top one which is "Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op 47". Apparently it's pretty famous since Wikipedia has an extensive article on it, as does PBS ( http://www.pbs.org/keepingscore/shostakovich-symphony-5.html )

Not to speculate too much, I'll leave that to someone who's more willing to dive down a rabbit hole, but I do think there was an intentional choice to bring attention to this piece (especially since even the CC somehow managed to get the name right).

Shostakovich was persecuted by the Soviet Government for his work, and it seems he was deeply conflicted between helping others and keeping his loved ones safe throughout his life. there seems to be a widespread belief that this piece in particular is intended to covertly convey false praises to a tyrannical government while in actually experiencing profound suffering. Maybe that is the connections Mr. Gaiman was going for?

Hope some folks (who are hopefully less sleep deprived then I am) will speculate further on this now that it's being brought to their attention, and or at least get someone to listen to some fantastic music.

Hiya! Oh? 👀

#gos2 #season 2 #GOS2Spoilers #good omens spoilers #ask #shostakovich

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redgrasshopper · 3 months

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hi guyz

I kind of forgot to post anything, but I put together an image with some composers that I know of/like.

Guess who's my favorite :)

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sixty-silver-wishes · 1 year

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everyone shut up this is ACTUALLY what fans of different composers are like

Mahlerians are PROUD TO BE ABSOLUTELY INSUFFERABLE DRAMA QUEENS, THE LIKES OF WHICH EVEN THE WAGNER CULT COULD NEVER SO MUCH AS ASPIRE TO BE. WE ARE ONE WITH THE UNYIELDING EBB AND FLOW OF THE BOUNDLESS UNIVERSE, DAMN IT ALL!

Shostakovich fans are like Mahler fans except they actually understand what sarcasm is. We also all really like the Muppets for some reason. Most of us own cats and likely have at least one mental illness.

Liszt fans are either tweenagers who love anime or salty old pianists who know a disturbing amount about music theory. These two factions are constantly at war.

Copland fans are either very, very far right or very, very far left. Either way, neither side actually listens to all of Copland's repertoire.

Tchaikovsky fans are either Russian grandmas or LGBT orchestra kids on Tiktok. Either those or the one noob who heard there were cannons once.

Wagner fans. Yes, there are the cringey neo-Nazi Wagnerians, but anti-Nazi Wagnerians are a whole new level of chaotic good. They spend their time dreaming up the most disastrous, chaotic Ring productions possible, with the sole purpose of making Richard Wagner's entire family simultaneously spin in their graves. They take "death of the author" to a whole new level and constantly run on nothing but 100% pure spite. You want a Wagnerian who would beat up Wagner in a Denny's parking lot on your side.

Prokofiev fans will unironically say "ackshually...". That's it.

Dvorak fans are homeschool kids. They're either soul-crushingly innocent or devastatingly horny.

Sousa fans are just high school band directors who try to convince themselves they like Sousa to get through the semester.

Joplin fans constantly argue over whether Joplin's music should be played twice as quickly or twice as slowly than it's actually written. Also sick of hearing about Janis.

Chopin fans are exactly like Liszt fans, except there are 20% more "uwu softboi flowercrown" edits of Chopin than Liszt floating around on Instagram and Tumblr.

Holst fans will drag you into an alleyway and beat you up with their bare hands if you so much as mention The Planets.

Bernstein fans are either horny theatre kids or communists, but it's more likely they're both at once. They are very opinionated about recordings, and express their approval of the ones they like by gyrating excessively to them. If you put a Bernstein fan, a Mahler fan, and a Shostakovich fan in one room, they will either topple a national government or have a threesome.

Ravel fans are inherently Wes Anderson fans. You can be friends with one for years without knowing a single thing about their personality.

Schoenberg fans are like Mahlerians but with worse memes.

Brahms fans are... I have never met a Brahms fan. I'm sure they exist, but I'm pretty sure my own taste in music scares them off.

Paganini fans are almost always TwoSet kids, particularly the ones who try to convince people that "classical music isn't boring because it's basically metal." If you tell them Paganini played viola, they will spontaneously combust.

Rachmaninov fans are ultimately really chill, but are often socially awkward. If you ask a Rachmaninov fan "how are you?", they will most likely respond with "you too."

Schumann fans are Mahlerians on medication.

Stravinsky fans think they're chaotic and unhinged and listen to the most obscure underground shit, but in all actuality they just decided to enter their edgy phase after a lifetime of being sheltered and forced to listen to nothing but Handel by their parents. Possibly homeschooled.

Ysaye fans are like Paganini fans, except they're depressed graduate music students with permanent calluses on their fingers.

Debussy fans go to art school, decide they don't like art school, but have been doing art school too long to turn back, so they can't get out of art school. They may be high on weed at any given moment.

Satie fans are just possessed vessels of Erik Satie. Death cannot hinder Erik Satie. Erik Satie will return to this mortal plane. Search your feelings. You are already Erik Satie.

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angeryed · 1 year

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Most heartwarming things about every composer ❤️

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Mendelssohn: the profound respect he had for others

The way he’s so cordial with strangers and even the people he dislikes

Man always remembers his manners and acts cordial as his family has taught him

And on occasions, his bursts of excitement to the point of switching languages highlights his joy to see who his loves

From the 1830's when he was in his 20s: “his excitement was increased so fearfully … that when the family was assembled … he began to talk incoherently in English.”

“His attachment to Mademoiselle Lind’s genius as a singer was unbounded, as was his desire for her success.” About Mendelssohn’s attitude to his wife

The amount of passion letters he wrote may be destroyed, but how his wife described him spoke it all: “He was the only person who brought fulfilment to my spirit, and almost as soon as I found him I lost him again.” ๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐ the feels bro

Recommended piece: Op. 34 No. 2

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Chopin: his love for family

Despite his disrespect and uncalled for criticism towards other composers, he still cares about his homeland

Even in his deathbed, he asked a soprano to sing the Polish national anthem

And he sent his siblings letters everyday when he was out of town

And through his ‘love’ letters to his friend, Tytus, you can tell he was passionate (;

“You don’t like being kissed. Please allow me to do so today. You have to pay for the dirty dream I had about you last night.” 👀 Chopin to Tytus — his ‘best friend’

We might never know if he actually meant it or if it was social etiquette back then, but the speculation is still there

Recommended pieces: Op. 22

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Liszt: everything about him

this man truly was an underrated jewel in the classical word

He was generous to the point where he went broke from teaching music free of charge and holding charity concerts all the time

People from his and our time both misunderstand him for being a womaniser, but he was more than that

He never disrespected any female composers and even when he criticised by his contemporaries, he always kept his cool and even complimented some of them

When Chopin criticised him for playing his nocturnes the wrong anr demanded an apology, Liszt still continued to admire him

Composer chivalry fr.

Recommended pieces: Totentanz

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Tchaikovsky: his devotion and mellow kindness

He was sweet and shy. Unlike Chopin.

Having only a few close friends and a tightly-knit family, he was fiercely loyal and to whom he loved.

As a gay man in the conservative 19th century Russia, he could only seek solace with his closest friends — his sister being the closest.

When his sister passed, all he could was to dedicate the entire Nutcracker Ballet to her as a part of his self-expression died with her.

And she meant a lot to him. Not only a part of himself was buried, the fact he loved her so much despite his depression and dissatisfaction towards his life, showed how close he was to his family.

Recommended piece: Pas de Deux (it showed his lonely yearning for love in my interpretation; those whimsical melodies and how he missed both sisterly and romantic love)

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Beethoven: man pulled 2015 pranks in the 19th century

Even though he scowled and raged throughout his life, he pulled pranks and laughed when his guests fell for it

He hid behind the door and scared his guests whenever they went through it

Laughing at their annoyed faces, he continued to turn annoyance to offence when he made his friends the butt of his jokes

To further gouge tears from his grumpy little face, he made more short songs solely as jokes about them

Besides being a hopeless romantic who made Fur Elise as a way to diss Elise, he wrote lyrics, “we all agree that you are the biggest ass” when joking about his violinist friend

Beethoven was either a great or absolutely horrible friend to have

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Shostakovich: a genuinely good guy

Every lonely person’s wet dream

Showing up on time, being nice back to everyone who was nice to him alongside living life the normal way despite being a composer, he never raised any aggression tendencies like other composers (take notes Beethoven :/)

Love extended beyond family and friends. He threaded and worded his letters with kindness and manners, especially to those who asked him for advice

Even under his intense stress and anxiety during the Soviet Union’s surveillance, the man loved his family.

And that in itself was impressive.

┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

Author’s note: I may not have written a recommended piece for all of them because I am not well-versed in most of their pieces yet

Do tell me what composers to do. I am happy to write about them <:

Much feedback is appreciated ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚

#classical music #chopin #creative writing #liszt #classical music memes #tchaikovsky #pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky #mendelssohn #felix mendelssohn #franz liszt #frederic chopin #fryderyk chopin #beethoven #ludwig van beethoven #shostakovich #dmitri shostakovich #Spotify

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camelliasinensis81 · 7 months

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Classical Composer Recommendations :)

Feeling happy? Shostakovich.

Need to study? Shostakovich.

Had a bad breakup? Yup, Shosty can fix that.

Need energy? Shostakovich.

Hopelessly in love with your academic rival? Shostakovich.

Getting angry because the quizlet set limit is 2000 terms and you just wanted a cool megaset but nooooo, you have to study everything separately? Shostakovich.

hope this helps! :)

#shosty #shostakovich #my boy dmitri shostakovich #nerd problems #classical music

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