Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg in 1906 as the second child of engineer Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and pianist Sofia Kokulina. With the help of his mother, his son's musical talent was able to develop at an early age. From 1919, Shostakovich studied piano and composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. One of his teachers was Alexander Glazunov, who recognized the young musician's great talent and encouraged him, even though he did not like his novel musical style. Shostakovich's breakthrough came with his First Symphony, which was to be followed by a further 14 symphonies. Shostakovich's catalog of works encompasses practically all musical genres, from operas, instrumental concertos, piano music, chamber music, choirs and songs to film scores. Many of his works contain hidden political messages. Under Stalin's reign, Shostakovich was subject to constant political pressure and was accompanied by the constant fear of being arrested and liquidated. Today, Shostakovich is considered one of the most important Russian composers of the 20th century and his works are performed all over the world.
