Testimony

Testimony is a book that was published in October 1979 by the Russian musicologist Solomon Volkov. He claimed that it was the memoirs of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who had died in 1975. Since its publication, its portrayal of the composer and his views has been controversial: the Shostakovich of the book was sometimes critical of fellow composers and most notably was strongly anti-Soviet in his views. The book also contained comments on his own music, suggesting that it was intended as veiled criticism of the Soviet authorities and support for the dissident movement. The authenticity of