Shostakovich

CBC Radio 2 has been playing a lot of Shostakovich in celebration of the composer's centenary (he was born in 1906).

He was rather prolific, despite living under a repressive regime in the USSR. The state had rather specific ideas as to what was acceptable and not, much like the Nazis shutting down the Comedian Harmonists for producing music that wasn't in keeping with the atmosphere patriotic fervor they were hoping to engender among the masses.

Shostakovich has arguably produced some of the best 20th Century classical music. He's certainly one of the most prolific.

My favourite piece is Waltz 2 from his Jazz suite #2.