The performance of the Seventh, or Leningrad, Symphony by composer Dmitry Shostakovich in besieged Leningrad is a story about strength of mind and faith in victory. In order for the premiere of the symphony to take place, a whole military operation had to be carried out. This was told by Alexei, the grandson of the Marshal of the Soviet Union and at that time the commander of the Leningrad Front, Leonid Govorov.
The orchestra began to gather in the spring of 1942 in the besieged city. It was the spring after the first, most terrible and difficult winter in the blockaded Leningrad. In the besieged city, trams did not run, the water supply did not work, and the norms of bread went down to the minimum, but people needed music.
According to Alexei, his grandfather understood that people should calmly come to the Philharmonic, sit down in their seats, then just as calmly leave and leave. And that all this should pass without explosions and without casualties among the population.
“Therefore, he, with all the details, as in any other situation, developed a military operation. She even received the code name “Squall”. About a month before the concert, my grandfather and his gunners were already working out in detail a plan for artillery suppression of enemy positions. Grandfather measured that it should have been 2 hours and 20 minutes, taking into account the performance and the arrival and departure of people. And all this time, our artillery fired continuously at the enemy, ”he said in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.
Govorov also noted that at some point his grandfather personally came to the concert and settled in the hall with other listeners, showing that everything was really in order.
On August 9, 1942, the performance of the Seventh Symphony took place in the overcrowded hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic. The concert was broadcast on the radio, as well as on the loudspeakers of the city network. The symphony was heard not only by the inhabitants of the city, but also by the German troops besieging Leningrad.
The blockade of Leningrad lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. According to various sources, during this time, up to 1.5 million people died in the city from hunger, cold, shelling and bombing.
In September 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on a one-time payment of 50,000 rubles to the defenders and residents of besieged Leningrad. Payments were proposed to be made in connection with the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Road of Life – the only transport route across Lake Ladoga, through which Leningrad was supplied during the war years.
The head of state stressed that supporting the blockade is a “sacred moral duty.” He also pointed out the inadmissibility of statements that the USSR should have surrendered Leningrad to the German invaders.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
