Kuhn (musicology University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) has composed a biographical study of the Quartets of Shostakovich using the philosophical theories of Shostakovich's contemporary Mikail
Bakhtin. She examines the personal and political circumstances involving the composition of Quartets 1-7. Shostakovich was obviously aware of the need for the approval of Soviet critics and may
have adapted his inventive style according to the political climate. Kuhn also looks at the claims that his use of Jewish folk tunes in the Quartets was a comment on Russian pervasive
anti-Semitism. However, she balances the social and political pressures on Shostakovich with his own internal struggles to create unique music. She provides a detailed, knowledgeable analysis
of the quartets, showing the influence of composers as diverse as Beethoven and Bartok along with selections of the scores to demonstrate her points. The result is a nuanced look at both the
man and the composer that will be of interest to historians as well as students of musical theory. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
