The "holy ties of comradeship" in the destiny and poetics of Dmitrii Shostakovich

This article considers music of Shostakovich as well as his personality from the perspective of the twenty-first century. Its focus is on the spiritual and moral values of the composer, and above all, his deep inner need for friendly communication. The theme of «camaraderie» stands out as one of the dominant lines in his works. The article also examines this topic in its biographical aspect, in the composer’s relationships with people close to him. Among these, that of the major art critic I. Sollertinsky is particularly notable. The theme of «comradeship» is also considered in the poetics of Shostakovich’s music. From this perspective, the author analyzes his works created during World War II, when the composer was in Kuibyshev (now Samara) in evacuation. Here, in addition to the legendary «Leningrad» Symphony, he wrote a cycle of romances based on poems by English poets (Raleigh, Burns, Shakespeare) translated by S. Marshak; and an opera «Players», based on Gogol. In the cycle of romances, the theme of «comradeship» is embodied in the images of a warrior, defender, and friend. In the opera «Players», it gets a paradoxical realization in the display of a grotesque union of cheaters and swindlers, which is projected onto the political events of the time.