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Parent Post: Genius Under Tyranny: Shostakovich’s Second Waltz
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In Reply To
sonatime
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6/3/2026, 6:47:25 PM
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Interesting questions. It all depends how we slice reality and we mostly arrive at different conclusions:) In the West we’ve mostly experienced a softer, “boiling frog” kind of tyranny, more psychological and cultural than the direct, whimsical brutality Shostakovich lived under. It’s luxurious and demoralizing at the same time. Scars do seem to fuel the creative process. Unless someone is an extreme outlier genius, suffering often becomes the raw material that forces real creation. As for “grace”… that might be one of those things humans are poorly equipped to judge. Maybe it’s wiser not to try. For some comedic relief on the modern Western version: Oliver Anthony drops “Rich Men North of Richmond,” becomes a sudden voice for the dispossessed… and promptly gets divorce-raped with the full help of the state. Now he’s living a more honest life for which he should be grateful:)
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