Every night, he slept with a small suitcase by the entrance.
Ready to be taken away at any moment.
1936. The Soviet Union.
Stalin's official newspaper criticized Shostakovich by name.
“This music is an act of rebellion against the regime.”
This was in an era when over 700,000 people were sentenced to death in that year alone.
Friends disappeared.
Relatives were executed.
He wondered if he would be next.
He packed his belongings into a single small suitcase.
Every night, he slept with it by the entrance.
So that he could leave immediately if the secret police came in the early morning.
This became his nightly routine.
There was only one way to survive.
To compose music that pleased the regime.
In 1937, his Symphony No. 5 was completed.
Outwardly, it was music of victory. A bright symphony celebrating the regime.
But was the 'joy' in the final movement truly joyful?
