Shostakovitch: The Preludes & Fugues / Melnikov

Album cover art for upc 794881942626
Label: harmonia mundi
Catalog: 902019/20
Format: CD

Alexander Melnikov, piano

Dmitri Shostakovitch (1906-1975)" 24 Preludes & Fugues, op 87

These twenty-four preludes and fugues have become so closely associated with the personality and playing style of their ‘official interpreter’ (Tatiana Nikolaeva) that history has ended up deciding that ‘that’s the way to perform them’ without looking any more deeply into the matter. Yet this op.87 is brimming with fascinating answers for anyone who takes the trouble to ask the right questions; and it is not the least merit of Alexander Melnikov to have approached the work from first principles and come up with his own, eminently musical solutions!
Bonus DVD: About the Preludes & fugues, interview with Alexander Melnikov and Andreas Staier. A film by Christian Leblé.