There are a wealth of sources available through most libraries that will make finding material on Shostakovich fairly easy. There is one thing to keep in mind. Cyrillic alphabet words are rendered in a variety of ways into latin characters. See "A Few Considerations" for a list of possible spellings.
The number of results you retrieve from a search will be radically affected by the spelling you use. Some of the most useful"subscription" databases include:
This link opens in a new windowBelow you will find links to a few articles on the reception of Shostakovich in the West. They are a random sample, to give a general idea of some of the popular opinion on Shostakovich.
So much media is available to supplement a study of Shostakovich. A few random choices are provided here. A simple Google search of "podcast Shostakovich quartet" will provide you with an array of discussions and performances.
If you are looking for Shostakovich online it is useful to keep in mind that his name can be rendered in Latin characters, i.e., transliterated, in a number of ways. The way it is rendered changes over time and from country to country. So if you are searching on the open web in particular, it is very important to keep in mind that you might miss something if you are not spelling it the way it is spelled in the document you seek. Below are a few of the possible spellings for Shostakovich when using latin characters.:
Cyrillic:
Шостакович, Дмитрий Дмитриевич
Latin characters:
The transliteration used in most U.S. Libraries is Shostakovich, Dmitrii Dimitrievich.
Other transliterations used either in the past or in other countries include:
Chostakovitch, Dimitri
Schostakowitsch
Schostakowisch, Dmitri Dimitriewisch
Sjostakovitj, Dmitri,
Sostakovic
Šostakovič, D. D.
Šostakovičius, D.
Szostakovitch
Hebrew:
שוסטקוביץ׳, דמיטרי
You don't have to know all of these. What you should keep in mind is that the name can have various transliterations and if you are not finding what you are looking for you might want to try an alternative transliteration for the name.
If you are looking through a library catalog in the U.S. there are a number of subject headings you may find useful. The main heading is:
Shostakovich, Dmitriĭ Dmitrievich, 1906-1975.
This is divided into many possible "sub-headings" which will lead you to specialized works. Some of the sub-headings are:
Concertos, violin, orchestra no. 1, op. 99, A minor. Passacaglia.
Concertos, violoncello, orchestra.
Concertos, violoncello, orchestra, no. 1, op. 107, E♭.
Concertos, violoncello, orchestra, no. 2, op. 126.
Criticism and interpretation--Congresses.
Ledi Makbet Mt︠s︡enskogo uezda.
Preli︠u︡dii i fugi, piano, op. 87.
Quartets, strings, no. 8, op. 110, C minor.
