Dmitri Shostakovich's second, third, and fourth symphonies: problems of context, analysis, and interpretation

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a Russian composer born in St. Petersburg in 1906. The composition of Shostakovich's 2nc 3rd and 4th symphonies were influenced by the tumultuous historical context of the 1917 October Uprising and the Russian Revolution which resulted in the overthrow of the Tsarist regime and Joseph Stalin's subsequent repressive authoritarian dictatorship. The music of the 2nd symphony, subtitled To October, was written in 1927 for the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution. Its movements  mimic order emerging from chaos. Darby's thesis explores the evolving historical, political and societal context for Shostakovich's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th symphonies.