Symphony for the City of the Dead

Mark your calendars! On December 7th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Brookline Main Library, we are delighted to be hosting the National Book Award and Printz Award winning author M. T. Anderson to present from his newest work, Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad. Following his presentation, he will introduce the performance of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 by the celebrated Arneis Quartet.

Symphony for the City of the Dead has been praised in the New York Times, was nominated for the longlist for the National Book Award, and has received four starred reviews. From the Kirkus Review, "The storytelling is captivating, describing how Shostakovich began composing the symphony under relentless bombardment in Leningrad and later finished it in Moscow, its triumphant performance in Leningrad during the siege, and how it rallied worldwide sympathy for Russia's plight. Music is at the heart of the story. As Anderson writes in the prologue, 'it is a story about the power of music and its meanings,' and he communicates them with seeming effortlessness in this brilliantly written, impeccably researched tour de force. A triumphant story of bravery and defiance that will shock and inspire."

The Arneis Quartet has gained equally high praise from the Boston Musical Intelligencer, "As a relatively young quartet, they have already achieved something it often takes years to develop: a unique, collective sound which is as warm and full of sparkle as liquid gold.” Mr. Anderson and the quartet have long hoped to present Shostakovich's music together and we are proud to be able to bring their wish to life here in Brookline.

Generously sponsored by the Friends of the Brookline Library. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of the Children’s Book Shop.