# Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Specifically, his Op. 87 from 1951, 24 Preludes and Fugues in all keys. I'm an absolute addict of this. My favorite performance is by Melnikov.

How about you? Do you enjoy it? Which performances? Or maybe you think its ersatz Bach with wrong notes? All opinions welcome!


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I purchased the one on Naxos by Scherbakov. While I'm a big fan of Shostakovich, I admit that this work has not yet taken hold of me. His Symphonies, his Concertos, his String Quartets, his Violin and Viola Sonatas: I adore them all. I need to do a deep listening of the Preludes and Fugues one of these days. The more I listen, the more I realize that I wasn't listening. Not really. Not like I should have. I need to start all over


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

My experience is that the music has to "wear in" a bit. Maybe just let it play and do something else. There's a delight in recognition for a lot of these pieces (for me at least).


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## mikey (Nov 26, 2013)

Specifically op.87? As in he wrote another set of preludes and fugues?
I've played the dmin, it's a grand, impressive piece. I haven't listened in depth to them all but from what I gathered briefly, some of them 'hit' quire easily and some I found very much _music for musicians_, shall we say.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

Mikey - the op. 34 set were preludes only - and generally lighter. Definitely worth a listen but preference for op. 87 has contributed to their relative neglect. 

I'm glad DSCH decided to write op. 87, as during that time most of his energies were devoted to songs and film music.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Yes, I think they are very good

My favourite set is by Tatiana Nikolayeva ... but which of her two sets I prefer, I couldn't say


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

I know the sound quality is horrible, but Nikolayeva's 1962 is something very special (Available on Doremi), don't like her second Melodiya or third on Hyperion as much even if both are top ten contenders. Both Sviatoslav Richter's and Shostakovich's own select few are very interesting accounts, very sad that Richter never committed all of them to tape! If one need a more contemporary sound quality, I agree that Melnikov is a very good choice, Ashkenazy could be a contender as well even if he was slightly beyond his pianistic (technical) peak (Arthritis I read somewhere) when he recorded the Op 87..

/ptr


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

I also prefer Nikolaeva in op.87, though I usually listen to the Melodiya version, the Hyperion being less good imo for acoustic reasons--it rather sounds as though the piano is drowning. She doesn't have anything like Richter's technique (whose Shosty recordings are essential), but I prefer her monumental gravitas over later more "pianistic" versions. 

Interesting about Ashkenazy's arthritic problems--the missed notes in his set drive me mad, but now I'm less inclined to blame him. 

A couple others that could be looked into: 

I like Shosty's own versions, but then I'm a sentimentalist. For an interesting modern alternative to Melnikov, I'd suggest giving Jenny Lin's version a try.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Specifically, his Op. 87 from 1951, 24 Preludes and Fugues in all keys. I'm an absolute addict of this. My favorite performance is by Melnikov.
> 
> How about you? Do you enjoy it? Which performances? Or maybe you think its ersatz Bach with wrong notes? All opinions welcome!


This recording is the most intriguing, mixed with Bach and Handel on period instruments. A true testament to the timelessness of these fugues. This recording was the first I ever listened to from his opus 87.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I'm also a fan of this work - have a recording by Keith Jarrett.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I´ve got Shosty´s on an old "Hall of Fame" LP, Richter, and the complete set with Nikolayeva/melodiya.

I prefer Shosty, but no doubt there are some fine other ones not known to me.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

One of his best works imo.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

brianvds said:


> I'm also a fan of this work - have a recording by Keith Jarrett.


Hopefully without his usual humming?


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

ptr said:


> I know the sound quality is horrible, but Nikolayeva's 1962 is something very special (Available on Doremi), don't like her second Melodiya or third on Hyperion as much even if both are top ten contenders. Both Sviatoslav Richter's and Shostakovich's own select few are very interesting accounts, very sad that Richter never committed all of them to tape! If one need a more contemporary sound quality, I agree that Melnikov is a very good choice, Ashkenazy could be a contender as well even if he was slightly beyond his pianistic (technical) peak (Arthritis I read somewhere) when he recorded the Op 87..


I have DSCH's own Ops. 87 selections on an old Capitol LP. It's good stuff.

I've never heard Nikolayeva's first set, reissued on Doremi as ptr mentions above. I have her _second_ (Melodiya) set. I'm not all that crazy about it, despite the plaudits. I've also not heard her Hyperion set, but I've read that she slows everything to a crawl.

My favorite version is Ashkenazy's. His recording is the one that convinced me of this work's greatness.

I think Melnikov's would also be excellent -- because he's such a stinkin' great pianist. But I've not heard it.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

hpowders said:


> Hopefully without his usual humming?


Jarrett was my first version of this work. If there was any humming, the engineers goulded it out.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The best performances of op 87 I've heard are by Vladimir Sofronitsky, a live recording. I've also enjoyed Mustonen and the late recordings that Richter made.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

For me, the best versions are any of the three from Nikolayeva; I'd take Melnikov next. I've never heard a poor full set, but Jarrett's is at the bottom.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

I love the Preludes and Fugues! One of his crowning achievements! I only have the Keith Jerrett recording.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Jarrett inspires adoration or brickbats, and not much in between.

What's funny is that people seem to regard his jazz recordings the same way.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> The best performances of op 87 I've heard are by Vladimir Sofronitsky, a live recording.


What label was this released on? Seems like a must have for me! (I've only heard him play No 3 & 9 live at the Scriabin Museum Vol 7 @ Vista Vera ca 1957)

/ptr


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

ptr said:


> What label was this released on? Seems like a must have for me! (I've only heard him play No 3 & 9 live at the Scriabin Museum Vol 7 @ Vista Vera ca 1957)
> 
> /ptr


That's what I mean! Ah, I can see I was misleading there, sorry.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I love his preludes and fugues. I own the Ashkenazy recordings. I tend to listen to a few at a time rather than the whole set or half.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

EdwardBast said:


> I love his preludes and fugues. I own the Ashkenazy recordings. I tend to listen to a few at a time rather than the whole set or half.


According to Elizabeth Wilson's book that I recently read, that is how they were often performed in Shostakovich's day -- a selected group played between longer works at a concert or recital. The full set takes about two and a half hours.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Like I said, I have the Sherbakov recording on Naxos. I have never heard any other version. While I listened to it a good number of times when I first got it, I admit that this is the only one of Shostakovich's works that never left much of an impression on me... until now!

I took the time tonight to really listen (disc one tonight; disc two perhaps tomorrow). It's amazing what one hears when one does so :lol:

I have never heard Shostakovich sounding like this before: pretty, dancing, and a bit like Bach in the fugues, of course. I didn't detect any typical Shostakovian sound until about track 17, where the disc starts to get a bit darker. It isn't aggressive, though, like he often is.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about keys, but I was immediately cognizant of each pair being in the same key. I can tell that they seem to use the same notes and sound somewhat like the pairs they are. This is an aspect I hope to be able to delve into further as I get to know the piece better.

Like I said on another thread, I need to take the time to savour the music I already have in my collection. Thanks for bringing this one back to my attention, KenOC. What a wonderful work!!!


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> I took the time tonight to really listen (disc one tonight; disc two perhaps tomorrow). It's amazing what one hears when one does so :lol:
> 
> I have never heard Shostakovich sounding like this before: pretty, dancing, and a bit like Bach in the fugues, of course. I didn't detect any typical Shostakovian sound until about track 17, where the disc starts to get a bit darker. It isn't aggressive, though, like he often is.


It's such a rich set of pieces, in my view--and like EdwardBast I tend to listen to them in threes (#s 4 and 24 being exceptions, since these long brooding double fugues tend to stand on their own pretty well). There is a certain "Shostakovichness" that pervades the whole, but every now and again you'll hear a dance-like fugue subject, or a sarabande, or liturgical-sounding bass notes; the variety is amazing. And even though one can find certain similarities between preludes and fugues in the same key, it's remarkable how often they're totally dissimilar in style and mood (I'm not surprised that he'd previously composed a stand-alone set of preludes). For me, op.87 has been the most rewarding of Shostakovich's works in terms of constant re-listening--though there are plenty of other pieces of him I couldn't do without.

For what it's worth (nothing :lol, my favorite in the set is #16. Not very Bach-like, or even Chopin-like (a composer he also revered and frequently performed)--just DSCH all the way!

A final digression: I'd also recommend seeking out Shosty's piano sonatas (the second in particular, which has a magnificent performance from Gilels).


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Blancrocher said:


> For what it's worth (nothing :lol, my favorite in the set is #16. Not very Bach-like, or even Chopin-like (a composer he also revered and frequently performed)--just DSCH all the way!


I very much like Roger Woodward's performance of that.


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## Andreas (Apr 27, 2012)

I love the work. I have the Jarrett set. My favourite is the B minor prelude and fugue. Maybe because it's a rather obvious Shostification of my favourite prelude and fugue (g minor) from the WTC II. In the B minor fugue, like (to me) so often in Shostakovich's works, the music is full of an eerie foreboding, an atmospheric density, as if the air was thick with grime, an expectation that the worst is yet to come. Prelude and fugue in E minor, I think, also speaks of this. I often feel that music is full of regret, of remembrance, of a melancholy look back. With Shostakovich, I feel like peering into a cold myst ahead.


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

Giving these preludes and fugues a spin right now. I've got the Naxos Scherbakov recording playing. Definitely some of my favorite Shostakovich I've come across and much more immediately appealing to me than many of the symphonies which I haven't explored in depth yet. This Fugue No. 7 in A Major is something special in particular. Such blissful sound and feeling.


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