Shostakovich is the subject of a new film, starring August Diehl

4 June 2024, 15:03

A new film inspired by the life and music of Shostakovich is in the works...

A new film, The Noise of Time, will peek behind the Iron Curtain to focus on 20th century Russian musician Dmitri Shostakovich, from his personal relationships to life as a composer under Stalin and Khrushchev.

Born in 1906 in St Petersburg, Dmitri Shostakovich came of age in the grip of the Soviet Union, where his own turbulent relationship with the government landed him in hot water on multiple occasions.

Twice-denounced by the Communist Party for writing non-conforming music, much of Shostakovich’s musical output has since been interpreted through a highly-politicised lens.

The film is the latest in a spate of recently released and announced films on classical musicians, from Leonard Bernstein and Handel to Mozart, and the fictional conductor Lydia Tár.

Read more: Anthony Hopkins will play Handel, in a new biopic about the composer’s ‘Messiah’

Based on Julian Barnes’ critically-acclaimed 2016 novel of the same name, The Noise of Time is a fictional recounting of Shostakovich’s life, beginning with his first denouncement in 1936, aged 30. The narrative revisits the Gadfly composer at various points throughout his life, as he navigates his tricky relationship with the Russian authorities.

In a new film directed by Oscar nominee Jan Komasa and adapted from Barnes’ book by two-time Oscar winner Christopher Hampton, August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds) is set to play Dmitri Shostakovich opposite Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie) as his first wife, Nina.

The Noise of Time is the latest in a string of films on classical music, from Cate Blanchett’s Tár and Bradley Cooper’s Maestro to 1984’s Amadeus which is due to be remade as a limited series in late 2024.

Hoping to follow in their highly successful footsteps, Handel biopic The King of Covent Garden has also recently been announced, starring acting and piano legend Anthony Hopkins in the titular role.

Also on its way to the silver screen is Wagner in Venice, a fictionalised tale of the German composer’s final months in the idyllic city, surrounded by his wife, Cosima, and her father, composer and pianist Franz Liszt.

The Noise of Time is set to begin production in the first half of 2025, with a release date yet to be announced.