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Leningrad: Siege and Symphony
- The Story of the Great City Terrorized by Stalin, Starved by Hitler, Immortalized by Shostakovich
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
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Publisher's summary
Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony was first played in the city of its birth on August 9, 1942. There has never been a first performance to match it. Pray God, there never will be again. Almost a year earlier, the Germans had begun their blockade of the city. Already many thousands had died of their wounds, the cold, and most of all, starvation. The assembled musicians - scrounged from frontline units and military bands, for only 20 of the orchestra's 100 players had survived - were so hungry, many feared they’d be too weak to play the score right through. In these, the darkest days of the Second World War, the music and the defiance it inspired provided a rare beacon of light for the watching world.
In Leningrad: Siege and Symphony, Brian Moynahan sets the composition of Shostakovich's most famous work against the tragic canvas of the siege itself and the years of repression and terror that preceded it. In vivid and compelling detail he tells the story of the cruelties heaped by the twin monsters of the 20th century on a city of exquisite beauty and fine minds, and of its no less remarkable survival. Weaving Shostakovic’s own story and that of many others into the context of the maelstrom of Stalin's purges and the brutal Nazi invasion of Russia, Leningrad: Siege and Symphony is a magisterial and moving account of one of the most tragic periods in history.
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Hell and Good Company
- The Spanish Civil War and the World It Made
- By: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) inspired and haunted an extraordinary number of exceptional artists and writers, including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Martha Gellhorn, Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, and John Dos Passos. The idealism of the cause--defending democracy from fascism at a time when Europe was darkening toward another world war--and the brutality of the conflict drew from them some of their best work.
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Awkward approach to a civil war
- By sabas on 01-17-17
By: Richard Rhodes
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Dutch Girl
- Audrey Hepburn and World War II
- By: Robert Matzen, Luca Dotti - foreword
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty-five years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has covered her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. According to her son, Luca Dotti, "The war made my mother who she was."
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Good story, poor narration
- By sas on 07-09-19
By: Robert Matzen, and others
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Total War
- From Stalingrad to Berlin
- By: Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The powerful story of the Red Army's battle of liberation against the Nazi invader - from Stalingrad all the way to Berlin. In February 1943, German forces surrendered to the Red Army at Stalingrad, and the tide of war turned. By May 1945 Soviet soldiers had stormed Berlin and brought down Hitler's regime. Total War follows the fortunes of these fighters as they liberated Russia and the Ukraine from the Nazi invader and fought their way into the heart of the Reich. It reveals the horrors they experienced.
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Excellent history, great narration, worth it
- By Colin on 08-29-18
By: Michael Jones
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Stalingrad
- The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
- By: Antony Beevor
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
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In August 1942, an overconfident Adolf Hitler would attempt to invade Stalin's namesake city on the Volga. The battle of Stalingrad is extraordinary in every way: the triumphant invader fought to a standstill; then the Soviet trap sprung, surrounding their attackers; and the terrible siege, with Germans starving and freezing, forced to fight on by a disbelieving Hitler.
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Audible! Pls provide Michael Tudor Barnes
- By Anand on 07-02-15
By: Antony Beevor
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Enemy at the Gates
- The Battle for Stalingrad
- By: William Craig
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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On August 5, 1942, giant pillars of dust rose over the Russian steppe, marking the advance of the 6th Army, an elite German combat unit dispatched by Hitler to capture the industrial city of Stalingrad and press on to the oil fields of Azerbaijan. The Germans were supremely confident; in three years, they had not suffered a single defeat. The Luftwaffe had already bombed the city into ruins. German soldiers hoped to complete their mission and be home in time for Christmas.
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An Unforgettable and Haunting Read
- By Jean on 02-03-16
By: William Craig
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The Fall of Berlin 1945
- By: Antony Beevor
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Third Reich in January 1945. Frenzied by their terrible experiences with Wehrmacht and SS brutality, they wreaked havoc - tanks crushing refugee columns, mass rape, pillage, and unimaginable destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to death or were massacred; more than seven million fled westward from the fury of the Red Army. It was the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known.
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Engrossing
- By Salui on 09-06-16
By: Antony Beevor
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The Long Way Home
- An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War
- By: David Laskin
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The United States has always been a nation of immigrants---never more so than in 1917 when the nation entered the First World War. Of the 2.5 million soldiers who fought with U.S. armed forces in the trenches of France and Belgium, some half a million---nearly one out of every five men---were immigrants. In The Long Way Home, David Laskin, author of the prizewinning history The Children's Blizzard, tells the stories of 12 of these immigrant heroes.
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Incredible story of immigration and war
- By Daryl on 01-06-14
By: David Laskin
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The Women Who Wrote the War
- The Riveting Saga of World War II's Daredevil Women Correspondents
- By: Nancy Caldwell Sorel
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Nancy Sorel’s portrait pays homage to these unsung heroes. They came from Boston, New York, Milwaukee, and St. Louis; from Yakima, Washington; Austin, Texas; and Sioux City, Iowa; from San Francisco and all points east. They left comfortable homes and safe surroundings for combat-zone duty. As women war correspondents, they brought to the battlefields of World War II a fresh optic, and reported back home what they witnessed with a new sensibility.
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Nonfiction Account of WW2 Female News Reporters
- By DHackney on 08-30-13
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Soldiers and Slaves
- American POWs Trapped by the Nazis' Final Gamble
- By: Roger Cohen
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In February 1945, 350 American POWs captured earlier at the Battle of the Bulge or elsewhere in Europe were singled out by the Nazis because they were Jews or were thought to resemble Jews. They were transported in cattle cars to Berga, a concentration camp in eastern Germany, and put to work as slave laborers, mining tunnels for a planned underground synthetic-fuel factory. This was the only incident of its kind during World War II.
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Soldiers and Slaves
- By Hilda on 01-29-09
By: Roger Cohen
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Berlin at War
- By: Roger Moorhouse
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In Berlin at War, acclaimed historian Roger Moorhouse provides a magnificent and detailed portrait of everyday life at the epicenter of the Third Reich. Berlin was the stage upon which the rise and fall of the Third Reich was most visibly played out. It was the backdrop for the most lavish Nazi ceremonies, the site of Albert Speer's grandiose plans for a new "world metropolis", and the scene of the final climactic battle to defeat Nazism.
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A unique study of part of World War II
- By Mike From Mesa on 08-25-17
By: Roger Moorhouse
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The German War
- A Nation Under Arms, 1939-1945; Citizens and Soldiers
- By: Nicholas Stargardt
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 24 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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As early as 1941, Allied victory in World War II seemed all but assured. How and why, then, did the Germans prolong the barbaric conflict for three and a half more years? In The German War, acclaimed historian Nicholas Stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of primary source materials - personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence - to answer this question. He offers an unprecedented portrait of wartime Germany, bringing the hopes and expectations of the German people to vivid life.
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Great read for history buffs
- By marykk on 05-12-16
What listeners say about Leningrad: Siege and Symphony
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- ljbooks
- 02-23-15
Excellent perspective on the history of the siege.
The history of the siege, anchored to the perspective of the composer and symphony, progresses through the moving human chronicle drawn largely from the letters, journals, and writings of the city's inhabitants and defenders. Having visited St. Petersburg twice in recent years, this book was the best choice I could have made to fulfill my need to learn about and understand the experience of the siege.
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1 person found this helpful
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- J. Kahn
- 10-14-14
Important take on history and music
Would you consider the audio edition of Leningrad: Siege and Symphony to be better than the print version?
Absolutely not! Too many Russian names and historical details. Seriously flawed narration.
Would you be willing to try another one of George Backman’s performances?
No.. I usually complain about poor pronunciation of foreign words and names in audiobooks. This one had the reverse problem. The narrator seemed so eager to show off his flawless Russian that the performance was annoyingly affected and pretentious. He also read every sentence as if it were the most important one in the book with exaggerated drama. Editing was also poor, with no breaks between sections of text./ Read the book instead.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No.
Any additional comments?
This book is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of the siege of Leningrad are horrific, and the book requires a knowledge of World War II history and an interest in classical music. That being said, it's definitely worth the effort--to read.
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3 people found this helpful
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- LRung
- 01-04-19
repetitive
Perhaps easier to follow in an actual book, but via audio it just seems to go on and on about conditions of the city under siege.
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- Stephen
- 12-13-14
Labored recording.
Would you try another book from Brian Moynahan and/or George Backman?
Not by Backman
What was most disappointing about Brian Moynahan’s story?
The story was too long and had an appeal to a narrow segment of ward historians.
How could the performance have been better?
The delivery of Russian and German words was labored. Destroyed the book for me.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment
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