Thankfully, Angela reminded me that today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dmitri Shostakovich, by in large my favorite composer. His 10th symphony (which I heard when I was still in second year at Douglas College) changed my musical life, and still holds special meaning for me. With a smile, I still remember the VSO performance of the work. After the second movement my compatriot trombonist Peter leaned over to me and quietly whispered with restrained enthusiasm, "That kicked ASS!"

This is because the 10th symphony is widely thought of as Shostakovich's scream of release after conforming much of his musical output to life under to the brutal dictatorship of Josef Stalin. This is how things were under the Soviet system: artists brutally and unfairly repressed, then unable to speak out for fear of arrest, forced to the humiliation of public repentance. So it was for Shostakovich, who while being one of the Soviet Union's greatest composers, found himself continually at odds with the government. His only comfort: acts of musical dissidence which, more often than not, were hastily composed and then stored away in a desk drawer to wait for more progressive times.

Shostakovich is a fascinating man, riddled with brilliance and nervous compulsiveness. So I say, isn't it far past the time that a movie was made about this man's incredible life and music? I can only keep my fingers crossed, because it's long overdue.