Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich, (1906-75). Russian composer. He made his name with his first symphony, written when he was 20. Although his operas The Nose (1930) and Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk (1934) were attacked as decadent and bourgeois, Shostakovich regained official favour with his fifth symphony (1937). His works also include string quartets, the ballet The Age of Gold (1938), concertos, and piano music.