Posted by Richard on February 15, 2001 at 08:08:07:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Shostakovich's 5th - Triumph or Tragedy? posted by Anthony Labelle on February 15, 2001 at 06:49:14:
You've made my point. Underneath it's surface of obvious tunefulness and symphonic drama, Shosty 5 is a deeply troubling and disturbing piece. On the one hand, he's telling Stalin and the party hacks, OK, guys, I'll be good. On the other hand, he's painting us a picture of Stalin and the Soviet leadership shouting in his ear, make us HAPPY, damn you, or you'll be SHOT!
Sorry this awful truth makes listeners like you UNHAPPY, but these are the demands sometimes made by the fine arts.