erted personality, Shostakovich was noted for other qualities as well. After Prokofiev's death in 1953, he was the undisputed head of Russian music. There was no reason to doubt that he was a sincere Communist, and he even participated in political conferences. Yet as a composer he always refused to be a mere cipher of official politics. He appeared to flourish in tension, writing much of his best music when his fiercely independent creative thought, under the abiding pressure from his masters for comprehensible expression, was channeled into a musical language of the utmost directness. MAJOR WORKSOperas: The Nose (composed 1927-28; first performed 1930); Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (composed 1930-32; first performed 1934; later renamed Katerina Izmaylova, and performed in the revised version, 1962). Ballets:The Golden Age (1930); Bolt (1931); Bright Rivulet (1935). Orchestral works:15 symphonies, including No. 1 (composed 1924-25), No. 5 (1937), No. 7 (Leningrad, 1941), No. 10 (1953), No. 14 (a cycle of 11 songs, 1969). Concerti:Violin: No. 1 (1948) and No. 2 (1967). Cello: No. 1 (1959) and No. 2 (1965). Piano: No. 1 (1933) and No. 2 (1957). Chamber music:15 string quartets; Piano Quintet (1940); two piano trios, the first of which (Opus 8) was repudiated by the composer. Piano:Two sonatas; 24 Preludes and Fugues (1951). Choral:The Execution of Stepan Razin (1964). ...
