If you have ever tried to study the scores of Dmitri Shostakovich, you know it can get expensive fast. Between the massive symphonies, the string quartets, and the operas, buying the complete works from a publisher like Sikorski or DSCH will set you back a small fortune.
Unlike a printed Sikorski edition, IMSLP scores are only as good as the scanner. I have downloaded Shostakovich symphonies that look like someone scanned them with a flip phone in a dark basement. The page turns are terrible, the margins are cut off, and sometimes whole movements are missing. shostakovich imslp
: Often described as his most famous work, it was written as a "creative response to justified criticism" following his denunciation by the Soviet government. If you have ever tried to study the