# Shostakovich playing Shostakovich



## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

A fragment of Shostakovich playing his 1st PC. He was a much better pianist than I realized. The video poster is unsure when this concert happened. Do you have some ideas?





His performance of the 2nd PC:


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

My first recording of Shostakovich's Piano _Preludes & Fugues_ was an LP of excerpts played by the composer.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I cherish recordings of composers performing their own music. Even if there are "better" performances available -- for technique, accuracy to score, vividness of recorded sound, etc. -- there remains an intangible "stamp of authority" that one gets from the composer's own hand -- maybe if it's just with the tempos or dynamics. But it's more often than not a kind of mystical sense, one of real "connection" to the music.

A favorite disc in my collection, in remastered mono sound:









Yedang Classics ‎- CT-10022. It features the composer performing his own Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, as well as his Concertino for Two Pianos, sharing the performance with his son, Maxim, and his Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67 with Miloš Sádlo, cello, and David Oistrakh, violin.

The disc may not present the most vivid or resonant sound by contemporary standards (recordings from late 1940's to late 1950's), but when one imagines who is seated at the piano making the music, sound quality hardly matters.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

This is something I've been thinking about recently. I've always enjoyed the recordings he left from his own op 87 (preludes and fugues for piano) but I know that people say that plays too fast, and misses a certain soul which, for example, Tatyana Nikolayeva allegedly found. 

However someone told me a few weeks ago that his score contains quite detailed tempo suggestions which, not surprisingly maybe, the composer himself follows, and Nikolayeva ignores, even though Nikolayeva played with Shostokovich leaning over her shoulder, and gained his approval. 

The person who said all this to me put me on to Edward Woodward's recording of these pieces, which, I'm told, follow the composer's suggestions very carefully. I'd say it's well worth hearing that recording if you think this composer is worth exploring.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

I imagined him to be a good pianist. After all, Shostakovich had participated in the Frederick Chopin piano competition when he was young, had he not?


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## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

Wow, I'd never think that Shostakovich would play his 2nd concerto _that_ fast.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I remember reading that Shostakovich wanted to become a concert pianist early on, but received some poor notices in that role. His playing was considered too dry, which isn't surprising. Obviously he pursued a different career, and his technical ability as a pianist diminished somewhat over the years.

But he could still play! I have a recording of Dmitri playing his 10th Symphony in a two-piano version with his pal Weinberg (mostly written "Vainberg" in those far-off days). Well worth hearing if you run into it.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

#4 
-> Roger Woodward

(( His recording of Brahms 1st Concerto, pretty mainstream & with Masur, is fabulous IMO; he also did a good Takemitsu CD, for example. ))


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