Considered the most important Soviet composer of our time, Dmitri Shostakovich's career was inextricably tied to his country's Communist regime. Though he himself was a Communist, he faced enormous creative difficulties in conforming to the demands of his totalitarian government. Given that, however, Shostakovich succeeded in composing some of the most powerful music ever written. With his fifteen symphonies, concerti, operas, vocal and chamber music, the prolific Shostakovich made an indelible impression on the creative world.