TromboneChat

c. 1959 Shostakovich was visiting Disneyland as part of a cultural exchange with other Soviet composers/musicians.
From Facebook, left to right; Shostakovich, Fikret Amirov, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Walt Disney, Konstantin Dankevich, Tikhon Khrennikov, unknown, and Boris Yarustovsky. Anyone know who unknown is? Yarustovsky wrote extended comments on the venture but I can't find a free online version

The LP album under Shostakovich's arm has a label that seems to say "Good Time Jazz".

In return, the Soviets got Roy Harris, Peter Mennin, Ullyses Kay and Roger Sessions.


Mr. Silly Symphony meets Mr. Not-so-silly Symphony.
I can recall when those glasses seemed like an example of embarrassing Soviet backwardness... and now they're in style!





Fun fact: while searching to see if pic this had been posted before, I found that "Shostakovich" outnumbers "Shostakovitch" by 10 to 1 on this forum.

Wikipedia and Google prefer "ich" but my browser spelling corrector wants me to use "itch".

robcat2075 wrote: Sat Nov 01, 2025 9:58 am Fun fact: while searching to see if pic this had been posted before, I found that "Shostakovich" outnumbers "Shostakovitch" by 10 to 1 on this forum.
Wikipedia and Google prefer "ich" but my browser spelling corrector wants me to use "itch".

Fun memory of interesting times past.

It's actually Дмитрий Шостакович !

Apropos of Disney and Shostakovich... a 1939 Soviet cartoon for which Shostakovich wrote most(?) of the music. (Boosey & Hawkes notes "Score for the cartoon-film by Mikhail Tsekhanovsky")

Various commentaries say he wrote this mini-opera for the cartoon but it is also performable as a stage work.

I have trouble watching Soviet-bloc animation. It is like they were paid to make them long.

"The Silly Little Mouse"

Two photos with Shostakovich not holding or smoking a cigarette. Rare indeed.