Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues

Started by The Mad Hatter, June 07, 2007, 03:04:39 AM

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SonicMan46

Well, some more comments available on the Melnikov performances - recent issues (i.e. Nov-Dec) of Fanfare & ARG both have positive reviews; Don has him in 2nd place (behind his perennial fav!) - Scott Morrison in his Amazon review (and an owner of 7 sets) seems to put him at the top of his list.

There have been some complains on the packaging - 3 discs, the last one w/ a DVD layer and the cost - so have any others acquired these recordings?  If so, impressions?  I currently own the same 4 discussed in previously threads but have added this new one to my 'wish list' -  :D



Bulldog

Quote from: SonicMan on November 04, 2010, 08:54:55 AM
Well, some more comments available on the Melnikov performances - recent issues (i.e. Nov-Dec) of Fanfare & ARG both have positive reviews; Don has him in 2nd place (behind his perennial fav!) - Scott Morrison in his Amazon review (and an owner of 7 sets) seems to put him at the top of his list.

There have been some complains on the packaging - 3 discs, the last one w/ a DVD layer and the cost - so have any others acquired these recordings?  If so, impressions?  I currently own the same 4 discussed in previously threads but have added this new one to my 'wish list' -  :D




Just to let you know that Arkiv Music now has the Melnikov set on sale for $22.

Mandryka

#62
What do you guys thing of Olli Mustonen's 4  CDs? The ones with the Bach WTC interspersed?

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

karlhenning

I've Vol. 1, but it's a while since I listened . . . .

Dancing Divertimentian

Quote from: Mandryka on August 27, 2011, 12:39:24 AM
What do you guys thing of Olli Mustonen's 4  CDs? The ones with the Bach WTC interspersed?




I've been eyeballing these as well. I have Mustonen's disc with Shostakovich's Op.34 Preludes and it's an unqualified success.





Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach

karlhenning

I like Olli very well in the Hindemith Ludus tonalis

PaulSC

Quote from: Mandryka on August 27, 2011, 12:39:24 AM
What do you guys thing of Olli Mustonen's 4  CDs? The ones with the Bach WTC interspersed?



I have and enjoy both 2-CD sets. I think it's a shame that the two cycles — Bach and Shostakovich — are intermixed. The Shostakovich performances are gems. Mustonen's ultra-precise touch makes for an electrifying experience in fast movements like the A minor Prelude. He's also successful with more lyrical movements, although I prefer a lusher sound. (Well, my all-around favorite recording of the Shostakovich is Keith Jarrett's, which I know is not to everyone's liking.)

As for the WTC recordings, they earn my more qualified approval. Mustonen certainly has a strong point of view and is able to bring it to life in his performances. He achieves a very wide dynamic range, and his distinctive "molto staccato" touch is at its most razor-sharp. I find a little goes a long way, but it's nice to have his cycle along the dozen or so others in my collection. (Personally, I find Glenn Gould to be a less enjoyable "interventionist" interpreter.)

Incidentally, I'm in the middle of a Diabelli Variations kick. Mustonen's recording does nothing for me, although I know it has its fans. I guess what I'm saying is, even if you are familiar with his pianistic voice, it's hard to predict how well it will work for you in other repertoire.
Musik ist ein unerschöpfliches Meer. — Joseph Riepel

DieNacht

#67
Concerning Mustonen, yes his style is very personal and sometimes practically stands in for the composer´s own work. The crystalline/pointilist playing works very well in the Sibelius miniatures CD and the Beethoven Folk Song Variations op.107/Sonata 30 CD IMO, but it becomes irritating in the Stravinsky Capriccio or the Beethoven 1st Concerto, I think. Can´t say if this applies to the Shostakovich pieces, since I only heard a few long time ago.

The old Concert Hall LP where Shostakovich plays some of the Preludes & Fugues himself (as already mentioned this and some more pieces have been re-issued on CD) is one of the best recordings made by Shostakovich, Í think; his tempos are rather extreme, adding a lot of melancoly to the slow pieces and some angsty disturbance to the faster ones, cf

http://www.discogs.com/Shostakovich-Shostakovh-Plays-Shostakovich-Seven-Preludes-And-Fugues-For-Piano/release/1637851

Brian

Listened to Scherbakov 1-12 and loved his luminous touch - bit of a soft-focus glow - very different from the other recordings I have (Nikolayeva I, coldly neobaroque, and Shostakovich himself, totally unsentimental).

Dancing Divertimentian

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on August 27, 2011, 10:49:21 AM
I like Olli very well in the Hindemith Ludus tonalis

That's another Mustonen disc I'd like to have but so far Amazon's sellers keep it priced out of reach.


Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach

Mandryka

I listened today to TN's first record of Op87/20 -- the C minor prelude and fugue. I can hardly imagine a more wooden and colourless interpretation of the prelude and she makes the fugue into an elephant's dance.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Bulldog

Quote from: Mandryka on September 02, 2011, 02:10:55 AM
I listened today to TN's first record of Op87/20 -- the C minor prelude and fugue. I can hardly imagine a more wooden and colourless interpretation of the prelude and she makes the fugue into an elephant's dance.

For me, the C minor is hard-core and very bleak; Nikolayeva plays it just the way I want it.  You obviously want something else from this music.  I hope you have found it.

Fagotterdämmerung


  This is one of my favorite Shostakovich works - any new recordings worth looking into the past few years? What are everyone's favorites?

Ken B

Quote from: Fagotterdämmerung on January 26, 2015, 11:31:42 AM
  This is one of my favorite Shostakovich works - any new recordings worth looking into the past few years? What are everyone's favorites?

Oodles. It was rare once and is now trendy. Most in the past few years.

I like the Hyperion Nikolayevna. That puts me in the minority. Most prefer the earlier one which is also good. Some heretics don't like her at all, but that's what stakes and matches are for.

I just got this

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Canadian content, and like it so far.
I'm less happy with Keith Jarrett. Also it seems a minority opinion. The Naxos set is good too.

aukhawk

Quote from: Ken B on January 26, 2015, 11:43:36 AM
I like the Hyperion Nikolayevna. That puts me in the minority.

Me too.  In fact it was my first-ever CD(s).  Having already acquired about 800 LPs you understand.
That recording single-handedly converted me to the merits of the (then) new CD format.

My favourite though is Jenny Lin
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betterthanfine

This thread inspired me to give the Melnikov (which I've owned for a while, but had never played before) a spin yesterday. Absolutely wonderful, both the music and the performance.

Karl Henning

Yes: Melnikov, Rubackyté, Shcherbakov, yea, even Mustonen . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Fagotterdämmerung

   I went a little strange the past few days and listened to the Jarrett, Melnikov, Lin, and Scherbakov, one after the other. I think the Scherbakov is my favorite, though I liked the Jarrett quite a bit too.

   I don't know exactly why I find these pieces so endlessly listenable. ( Though, that being said, I have a strong preference for the fugues over the preludes, regardless of performer. )
 

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Dancing Divertimentian

Ashkenazy's set is really, really nice. Right up there with Richter's morsels and Shostakovich's own scattered recordings.




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Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach