Avrutin describes Shostakovich as a hero of Soviet music and gives a clear insight on Soviet artistic stage, where an artist is controlled by the regime. The article gives an explanation of Shostakovich’s “hidden silence” about the regime and life in Soviet Russia. There is almost no evidence of his public speeches or any sort of written document about his thoughts on the system. The article contains several references to other authors and their works, who were inspired by his silence. (One of them is Solomon Volkov’s Memoirs of Dmitrii Shostakovich). This is a wonderful source for more insight on the “hidden silence” about the regime, his feelings, and how was that was transmitted to the viola sonata.