This biography investigates the true political alignment and artistic motivations of composer Dmitri Shostakovich, challenging the long-standing perception of him as a loyal Soviet artist. Ian D. MacDonald, a music critic and historian, utilizes the controversial memoirs published by Solomon Volkov as a primary catalyst to re-examine the composer's life. He argues that Shostakovich was a covert dissident who embedded coded messages of defiance against the Stalinist regime within his musical compositions.

Musicologists and historians frequently cite this work as a pivotal text that shifted the academic understanding of Shostakovich's creative intent. Readers often note the dense, analytical nature of the prose, which requires a foundational knowledge of 20th-century Russian history and classical music theory.