Happy Birthday, Dmitri Dmitrievich

One hundred years ago today was born one of the best composers of the Soviet Union, indeed of the 20th century, Dmitri Shostakovich. There was an excellent article on the composer on the French news from France 2 last night, with excellent pictures and an interview with Irina Shostakovich (the composer's third wife); the BBC has been all over the story, with another interview with Irina; ITAR-TASS reports that the town of Samara has renamed a street after Shostakovich; NPR had a piece on Saturday and another today. The Guardian has a great little quiz on Shostakovich, which we dare you to take. I scored 9 out of 10. Check out my Classical Music Agenda at DCist for some Shostakovich concerts to catch here in the Washington area this week.

We will be writing a lot over the next couple months about the observance of this important centenary, but today seemed like a good opportunity to look back at what we have written about DSCH at Ionarts over the past three years. We hope all our readers listened to some of his music today. I am listening to Valery Gergiev's recordings of Symphonies 4, 5, and 9 as I write this. Strangely, I do not recall reading a single blog entry devoted to Shostakovich today, but as they turn up, I will add them here.

Symphonies: First -- Temirkanov, Baltimore Symphony Second -- Jansons Fourth -- Jansons / Gergiev Seventh -- Bernstein Eighth -- Rostropovich / Wigglesworth / Gergiev Eleventh -- Slatkin, National Symphony Twelfth -- Jansons Fifteenth -- Kremerata Baltica String Quartets: Third -- Belcea Quartet Fourth -- National Gallery Quartet Eighth -- Jerusalem Quartet Ninth -- St. Petersburg Quartet Tenth -- Jerusalem Quartet Fifteenth -- Emerson Quartet (The Noise of Time) Miscellaneous: Collection of Shostakovich Recordings in Danger

Concertos and Orchestral: First Violin Concerto -- Gidon Kremer, Baltimore Symphony Festive Overture -- Baltimore Symphony Piano and Other Chamber Music: 24 Preludes and Fugues -- Keith Jarrett Second Sonata -- Alexei Lubimov Sonata for Viola and Piano -- Kremerata Baltica Piano Trio No. 1 -- Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Piano Trio No. 2 -- Natalia Gutman and friends / Beaux Arts Trio / Amadeus Trio Duets for Violins with Piano -- Perlman/Zukerman Operas: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk -- De Nederlandse Opera (2006) / Bolshoi (2004) / Petr Weigl film (1992) Moscow, Cheryomushki -- Opéra National de Lyon (2004) The Nose -- Mariinsky Theater