# Your favourite recordings by Tatiana Nikolaeva



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

I've never heard her play Schumann, is it special? Her earlier Bach recordings seem much better than the later ones to me. Is anyone a fan of her Beethoven sonatas? And then there are all the different Shostakovich recordings.

Anyway, I was prompted to post this because I've been listening to her expressionist Well Tempered Clavier Bk 2 from 1973. She just seemed to take the music and distort it so as to make it maximally emotional. Quite different from Feinberg, Richter, Neuhaus and her other peers.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Interesting post. You mention recordings I haven´t heard, and the Bach WTC sounds intriguing.

I usually find her good, it´s a rather heavy and masculine, Gilels-like style.

I own the Shostakovich Preludes & Fugues/melodiya, the Bach Piano Concertos box conducted by Sondeckis/melodiya, the Hindemith 4 Temperaments/melodiya, an LP with Bach transcriptions by herself, Busoni, Kempff and others/melodiya, and probably a few more.

Oh yes, there´s the Stravinsky Capriccio with Svetlanov too, in stereo but one of the earlier melodiya recordings. Not my preferred one though, quirky and lively, but a bit sketchy at times.

It is perhaps less known that she also composed; a piano concerto with her as a soloist is on you-t 



It´s quite funny how the opening somehow resembles Tchaikovsky´s 3rd 




Here´s one website dedicated to her, including a discography http://wimdehaan.nl/nikolayeva/index.html


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

TN's reputation today is colored by recordings made during her days of failing health, particularly the Beethoven sonatas.

I have kept my copy of the Shostakovitch P&Fs she recorded, both because I enjoy them and because they are probably a reflection of the composer's intent. I usually listen to Woodward's version - that Bösendorfer is a fine instrument - but occasionally 'recalibrate' with hers.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

I'm going to put a whole bunch of her Bach recordings on symphonyshare. I have the Bach Partitas from 1980, the Well Tempered Clavier from the early 1970s, the French Suites from the mid 1980s and two English suites from 1965. I'm coming to the opinion that she had lost the genius by the start of 1980. The WTC and English Suites are well worth hearing though. The later ones are fine, but nowhere near as daring.

What I've heard of the Beethoven has been embarassing. But I haven't heard much from the set. I've ordered her Diabelli Variations but the CD hasn't arrived yet. I'm not sure if I've ordered the 1979 or the 1981 performance.


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2013)

I like her Bach Goldberg Variations on Hyperion.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

For me, it's easily her Shostakovich Op. 87 - any of her three recordings. For an industrial strength interpretation and bleakness to die for, she can't be beat.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> Interesting post. You mention recordings I haven´t heard, and the Bach WTC sounds intriguing.
> 
> I usually find her good, it´s a rather heavy and masculine, Gilels-like style.
> 
> ...


Seeing this tread come up again has reminded me that I meant to thank you for pointing out that Nikolayeva on-line discography, which was very helpful.

One recording I found through it, still in print, is her Bach Partita 4 on Hungaroton. I think it's wonderful.


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