Question 1

True or false: Shostakovich wrote a symphony based on the 'Lord of the Rings' novels.

Accepted Answer

False. Shostakovich never composed a symphony based on Tolkien's novels. His 15 symphonies address political, historical, and personal themes, with no connection to Lord of the Rings.

Question 2

True or false: Shostakovich's 7th Symphony was premiered in Leningrad while the city was under Nazi siege.

Accepted Answer

False. It was premiered in Kuybyshev (Samara) in March 1942; the Leningrad premiere came later that August under siege conditions.

Question 3

True or false: Shostakovich's 5th Symphony was subtitled 'A Soviet Artist's Reply to Just Criticism'.

Accepted Answer

True. After his opera 'Lady Macbeth' was condemned, he rehabilitated himself with this symphony, which carries that official subtitle.

Question 4

True or false: Shostakovich's 'Waltz No. 2' was originally written for a Russian circus act.

Accepted Answer

False. It was composed for the 1955 film 'The First Echelon', not a circus, but later became iconic in films like 'Eyes Wide Shut'.

Question 5

True or false: Shostakovich was a close friend and collaborator of the composer Igor Stravinsky.

Accepted Answer

False. They met only a few times and had a cool, competitive relationship; Stravinsky dismissed Shostakovich's music as provincial.

Question 6

True or false: Shostakovich's music was banned entirely in the Soviet Union after World War II.

Accepted Answer

False. He was denounced in the 1948 Zhdanov Decree, but many works were still performed; total ban is a myth.

Question 7

True or false: Dmitri Shostakovich was a certified football referee and incorporated football into his ballet 'The Golden Age'.

Accepted Answer

True. Shostakovich, a lifelong football fan, obtained referee certification. His 1930 ballet 'The Golden Age' features a football match, reflecting his passion for the sport.

Question 8

True or false: In 1937, Shostakovich's name appeared on a letter published in Pravda calling for the execution of 'enemies of the people' during the Great Purge.

Accepted Answer

True. Shostakovich's name was among those of 100 intellectuals who signed a letter supporting the death penalty for the defendants in the 1937 show trials, a fact he later regretted.

Dmitri Shostakovich Trivia Questions