(This interview with the editor of Testimony took place in New York in 1995, in connexion with the twentieth anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich's death, and is published here in English for the first time.)

Günter Wolter: Mr Volkov, how would you describe the acceptance or importance of Shostakovich's music since 1979? Has there been any significant change as a reaction to the publishing of ‘Testimony’.

Solomon Volkov: Generally speaking, there was a rather drastic increase in Shostakovich's position on the musical scene of the 20th century. But it is very difficult for me to assess the particular importance in this process of the publication of Testimony because, if you are realistic, you understand that no single book, and no single performance could change the fate of a composer. But it could be part of a much broader process, and this process of change certainly occurred in the case of Shostakovich.