Rayok (Shostakovich)

Rayok (opus 78B, also known as "Anti-formalist Rayok", "Little Paradise", "The Peep-show" (see rayok), "The Gods" and "A Learner's Manual") is a satirical cantata for four voices, chorus and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich. Its title derives from Mussorgsky's work of the same name. It ridicules the Zhdanov decree of 1948 and the anti-formalism campaign in Soviet arts which followed it, and includes quotations from speeches by Zhdanov and a quotation from Suliko (Stalin's favourite song).

The date of the work is uncertain: according to the composer's friend Isaak Glikman and the Shostakovich family, it was begun in 1948, with further revisions in 1957 and the late 1960s. Another friend, Lev Lebedinsky, claims that the whole work dates from 1957 and that he rather than Shostakovich wrote the libretto. This latter date seems more likely, especially taking into account how dangerous a work like that - even one that is not intended to be published or performed - could be for a composer's own safety.

During the composer's lifetime, the work was performed only for family and close friends. It did not receive its first public performance until 12 January 1989 under Mstislav Rostropovich.