Shostakovich's Career

The final movement of the symphony sets one of Shostakovich's favorite Yevtuchenko poems, titled Career. There are moments of doubt, but in the context of the rest of the piece, this is probably the calmest and most peaceful moment in the entire symphony. This was personal Fershostakovich as well. So much of his music from the 4th symphony to the 4th string quartet to the violin concerto to the song cycle from Jewish folk poetry. All of this had been suppressed. He had changed his entire symphonic style to become more conservative in order to placate the authorities.