Judge Dennis Davis
Dmitri Shostakovich
Summary
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer. Focusing on Shostakovich’s fifth and seventh symphonies, Judge Dennis Davis aims to explain the context in which Shostakovich composed to comprehend his work effectively.
Judge Dennis Davis
Dennis Davis is a judge of the High Court of South Africa and judge president of the Competition Appeals Court of South Africa. He has held professorial appointments at the University of Cape Town and University of the Witwatersrand, as well as numerous visiting appointments at Cambridge, Harvard, New York University, and others. He has authored eleven books, including Lawfare: Judging Politics in South Africa.
I think that that biography is closer to the truth than some of the other people have suggested. But there is controversy as to whether Shostakovich was portrayed as anti the regime as, indeed, is suggested there.
Oh yes, I’ve spoken about that before when I lectured on Mahler’s five.
I have no doubt, but that’s my own interpretation.