Dmitriĭ Shostakovich : alʹtovai͡a sonata /

Aranovich and Sokurov's important (and long-suppressed) 1981 documentary about Dmitri Shostakovich's life and work (his last piece was a sonata for viola) would make solid library programming during this, the gifted composer's centennial year, ending in September. However, any presentation would need the contributions of a specialist in 20th-century Russian history, as unidentified but moving archival footage from Soviet sources challenge uncoached viewers to identify times and places and musical pieces are often untitled. Excerpts from historical footage, official propaganda, and fictional segments mingle with rare images and audiotaped conversations with Shostakovich himself. In Russian with optional subtitles in English and four other languages, the disc includes a computer-readable essay explaining the film's history. Highly recommended for public libraries as a counterpoint to the 1987 biopic Testimony and/or The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin (1997); also for libraries serving Russian communities and all music libraries.-Bonnie Jo Dopp, Univ. of Maryland Lib., College Park (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.