Dmitri Shostakovich

About Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) stands as one of the 20th century's most significant composers, earning him the #880 rank on MIT's Historical Popularity Index for his profound global cultural impact. A towering figure in Soviet music, his prodigious output included fifteen symphonies, numerous string quartets, and opera, often navigating the dangerous political currents of the Stalinist era. His works, known for their intense emotional depth and often veiled criticism, remain central to the classical repertoire worldwide.

In the contemporary digital landscape, Shostakovich garners approximately 586K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This figure places his internet attention at an 'Attention Gap' of roughly 1x, suggesting his online visibility is commensurate with his high historical importance. Interestingly, this is a much better alignment than figures like Pope Leo XI (#490 importance) or James Prescott Joule (#551 importance), both of whom possess higher historical rankings yet attract fewer than 115K views annually, suggesting a significant discrepancy where highly ranked historical figures are being overlooked online.

Further analysis indicates a robust current interest: Shostakovich's 2025 momentum shows a sharp +20% increase comparing Q1 to Q3 traffic, and his year-over-year change is a positive +5.6%, signaling a stable or potentially growing relevance in modern cultural discourse.