[Q]: Found the following article online, use it to answer the question: What is the name of the person whose closest friend's death occurred in 1944?  After graduation, Shostakovich initially embarked on a dual career as concert pianist and composer, but his dry style of playing was often unappreciated (his American biographer, Laurel Fay, comments on his "emotional restraint" and "riveting rhythmic drive"). He nevertheless won an "honorable mention" at the First International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1927. He attributed the disappointment at the competition to suffering from appendicitis and the jury being all-Polish. He had his appendix removed in April 1927. After the competition Shostakovich met the conductor Bruno Walter, who was so impressed by the composer's First Symphony that he conducted it at its Berlin premiere later that year. Leopold Stokowski was equally impressed and gave the work its U.S. premiere the following year in Philadelphia and also made the work's first recording. Shostakovich concentrated on composition thereafter and soon limited his performances primarily to those of his own works. In 1927 he wrote his Second Symphony (subtitled To October), a patriotic piece with a great pro-Soviet choral finale. Owing to its experimental nature, as with the subsequent Third Symphony, it was not critically acclaimed with the enthusiasm given to the First. 1927 also marked the beginning of Shostakovich's relationship with Ivan Sollertinsky, who remained his closest friend until the latter's death in 1944. Sollertinsky introduced the composer to the music of Mahler, which had a strong influence on his music from the Fourth Symphony onwards. While writing the Second Symphony, Shostakovich also began work on his satirical opera The Nose, based on the story by Nikolai Gogol. In June 1929, against the composer's own wishes, the opera was given a concert performance; it was ferociously attacked by the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians (RAPM). Its stage premiere on 18 January 1930 opened to generally poor reviews and widespread incomprehension among musicians.In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Shostakovich worked at TRAM, a...
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[A]: Shostakovich


input: Please answer the following: Found the following article online, use it to answer the question: What is the name of the person who was classified by Ross as part of an "emerging school of poetics"  Upon its release, Pru received positive feedback from music critics. Ed Hogan praised Pru's experimentation with musical genres. In discussing its many influences, Colin Ross wrote that the album never sounded uneven or disjointed. He commended the singer for communicating a range of emotions, by turns seeming "innocent, self-assured, uncertain, elated and vulnerable", praising in particular the album's instrumentation and lyrics. A Billboard writer described Pru as "sparkl[ing] with colorfully imaged songs about love won, lost and anticipated". USA Today's Steve Jones praised the performer for the "remarkable depth in her poetics about joy and heartbreak". Jones wrote that the album demonstrated that Pru had a clear sense of what she wanted to achieve for her career and sound. Ebony's Lynn Norment described her as possessing a "rich, earthy voice and lyrical talent", responding positively to the artist's influences from scripture and poetry. A writer for Sister 2 Sister commended Pru for her ability to convey emotion to the listener, and identified "Prophecy of a Flower" as their favorite track from the album. The Houston Press' Craig D. Lindsey praised Pru's music and live performances, describing her songs as "soulful, earthy and organic" and the antithesis to music such as Destiny's Child's 1999 single "Bills, Bills, Bills". The album was called "[a]rtful ... stunning ... sexy" by a reviewer from People.Several media outlets compared Pru to other artists, with a Billboard reviewer attributing the singer as writing in the same style as contemporary neo soul performers. The singer's voice was compared to Lauryn Hill, Macy Gray, and Erykah Badu by AllMusic's Stacia Proefrock. She was classified as part of an "emerging school of poetics" by Ross, who said that she was "subtly changing the landscape of contemporary R&B lyricism". A Billboard reviewer also placed the singer as a member of "the new soul movement", and compared her work to that of Angie Stone, Amel Larrieux, Jill Scott, and Badu. A writer from...
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output: Pru


Problem: Found the following article online, use it to answer the question: What band did Jeff Hanneman play with?  The album  was recorded in Los Angeles, California with Reign in Blood producer Rick Rubin. PopMatters reviewer Adrien Begrand observed that Rubin's production "shoves [Dave] Lombardo's drumming right up front in the mix". Guitarist Jeff Hanneman has since said that South of Heaven was the only album the band members discussed before writing the music. Aware that they "couldn't top Reign in Blood", and that whatever they recorded would be "compared to that album", he believed they "had to slow down", something Slayer had never done on albums before, or since. Guitarist Kerry King cited the need to "keep people guessing" as another reason for the musical shift. "In order to contrast the aggressive assault put forth on Reign in Blood, Slayer consciously slowed down the tempo of the album as a whole", according to Slayer's official biography. "They also added elements like undistorted guitars and toned-down vocal styles not heard on previous albums."King has since been critical of his performance, which he describes as his "most lackluster". King attributes this to the fact he had recently married, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Describing himself as "probably the odd man out at that point", he stated he "didn't participate as much because of that".  Hanneman said: "We go through dry spells sometimes, but the good thing about having two guitar players that can write music is that you are never gonna go without. I guess at that time, Kerry was hitting a dry spell." King has also been critical of the album in general, describing it as one of his least favorite Slayer albums. He feels  vocalist Tom Araya moved too far away from his regular vocal style, and "added too much singing". Drummer Dave Lombardo has since observed: "There was fire on all the records, but it started dimming when South of Heaven came into the picture. And that's me personally. Again, I was probably wanting something else."Judas Priest's "Dissident Aggressor" is the first cover version to appear on a Slayer studio album. The song was chosen...

A:
Slayer