Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) was a city under siege by the Nazis for 900 days (from 1941-1944). The Russians were unprepared to fight the Nazis and could not relocate or feed the the citizens of Leningrad. Food was scarce and people had to live on “125 grams of bread per day, of which 50-60% consisted of sawdust and other inedible admixtures.” Dead bodies in the streets and cannibalism became the norm. But in all this misery one thing gave people hope and that was a symphony written specifically for those trapped in Leningrad. Shostakovich wrote the Leningrad symphony. The composer was himself trapped between advancing Nazi forces and the Soviet government censors. The Leningrad symphony traveled far and wide to to finally be performed in the United States and other countries. The music was instrumental in strengthening the resolve of the people of Leningrad and the Allies. Symphony for the City of the Dead is the true story of the the siege of Leningrad, the brave, defiant citizens who persevered, and the power of music to inspire. 5 STARRED reviews