Who was the composer who thought that if he composed more symphonies than Beethoven that he would be killed? Than, he began one more, and died.
Urban legend. Never happened.
It started in part because of the reverence some later 19th century composers had for Beethoven, and the rather silly way they had of claiming hubris (egotism) whenever one of the fraternity dared to write many symphonies: "Oh, you think you've got more to say than Beethoven, hmm?"
But Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies, Miaskovsky wrote 25, and Havergal Brian wrote 32. All of 'em lived into old age--Brian, in fact, died at the age of 97.
Bruckner, by the way, did die while writing a ninth symphony, but it was subsequently discovered that he'd written two which were never published--so in fact, it was his eleventh that he was writing at the time of his death. And his death has nothing to do with Beethoven, and everything to do with his advanced age.
Also, have you listened to anything by Dmitri Shostakovich? At a concert band camp I went to, we (tried) to play something by him (I forget what). It was insane. We ended up not playing it for the concert since it was so difficult and we only had a week to learn it. But I really liked that song and I was wondering if you could suggest any CDs with songs by him on it. Thanks.
-anna
Yes, I'm pretty familiar with Shostakovich's works. He's probably my favorite 20th century composer. Unlike some music of that period which sounds either cold or written as though in code, Shostakovich always seems to make an emotionally committed statement. We now know, thanks to plenty of post-Soviet interviews with people who knew him, that his music (especially the satirical stuff) was frequently subversive, his blaring trumpets and snarling, military snare drum rolls were meant to stand for the Soviet aparachiks and Stalin, whom he hated. His was a tragic life: a man who was raised in the Soviet, truly believed in the ideals of Communism, and loathed the corruption of the people who abused the system and hurt others in the process. If you want to learn more, one very good, non-partisan book is Elizabeth Wilson's Shostakovich A Life Remembered.
But I'm getting off the subject. For a good idea of Shostakovich at his most engaging, with plenty of off-the-wall humor, check out his first and ninth symphonies. The best current version I know of features Bernard Haitink and the London Philharmonic (Decca 2DM 425066). The fifth symphony is perhaps his most easily accessible among the "serious" symphonies, but his seventh, eighth, and tenth have been praised more highly in recent years. His thirteenth and fourteenth symphonies unusually feature a vocal soloist, and most movements are settings of poetry--works of protest and great sorrow at the inhumanity of humankind. The Brezhnev regime tried to stifle them, without success.
You might also want to check out his two piano concertos (wonderfully funny works, especially the first), and his string quartets, which range from charming to horrifically despairing. Good luck, and hope you enjoy the results.