Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) was a Soviet Russian composer whose 15 symphonies and 15 string quartets chronicle the terrors and triumphs of life under Soviet rule.
In Depth
Shostakovich kept a packed suitcase by his door during the Great Terror, expecting to be arrested any night — he would sleep in the stairwell so the secret police wouldn't wake his family.
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