Xavier Güell in conversation with Jesús García Calero

January 26, 1936. Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is being performed for the umpteenth time. But this is no ordinary performance. That night, hidden behind the curtains of one of the boxes, Comrade General Secretary Joseph Stalin is watching. He leaves the theatre before the end and the next day Pravda publishes a devastating critique that many attribute to Stalin himself. From then on, a silent struggle ensues, with Shostakovich trying to save his art from a bureaucracy set on breaking him. Xavier Güell, joined by the director of ABC Cultural, Jesús García Calero, reflects on power, its oppressive force and the chances of emerging unscathed.

Güell, author of the novel Shostakóvich contra Stalin, has a musical background, having conducted several orchestras. He is also the author of La música de la memoria; Yo, Gaudí and Nadie logrará conocerse.

There will be a book signing at the end of the event.

Event in Spanish