Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906-1975) was first taught piano by his mother before entering the
Leningrad Conservatory at the age of just 13. He soon became a very good
pianist, improvising as well as playing at family gatherings. After the death
of his father, he played in cinemas in order to supplement the family’s income.
From 1923 Shostakovich started to perform in public, playing
his own works and those of the classical and romantic era. With ideas of
becoming a concert pianist he was chosen to be one of the Soviet team to take
part in the 1927 Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Despite much preparation
Shostakovich was not awarded a prize. The result was that Shostakovich lost his
desire to become a concert pianist, concentrating instead on composition.
Nevertheless, Shostakovich continued to perform his own
works until ill health prevented this. His last concert was in Gorky on 23rd
February 1964 at a festival of his music arranged by the great cellist, Mstislav
Rostropovich and Boris Guzman, conductor of the Gorky Philharmonic Orchestra.
There have been a
number of recordings of Shostakovich playing his own works particularly his Preludes and Fugues Op.87. New to me are
the broadcast recordings dating from 1955 and 1957 just issued by Praga
Digitals www.pragadigitals.com on 2 CDs, re-mastered and edited, of
Shostakovich playing both of his Piano
Concertos along with From Jewish Folk
Poetry and his Piano Quintet and Cello Sonata as well as some Preludes and Fugues.
2CD PRD 250 365.66 |
There are many fine moments in the song cycle for soprano,
mezzo-soprano, tenor and piano, From
Jewish Folk Poetry, Op.79 (1949) that opens the first CD. The composer
brings a haunting quality to much of the Lament
for a Dead Child with the soloists drawing out some disturbing harmonies,
each individually very fine. The Thoughtful
Mother and Aunt is rhythmically pointed with the composer finding a natural
simplicity to which the soloists add a terrific character. Later there are
moments of terrific passion in Before a
long separation, pianist and soloists
bringing a real emotional pull, finding so many subtleties. The composer
adds a special touch to Song of Hardship,
a real vibrancy.
The 1955 recording is remarkably good with much depth.
Shostakovich is soloist in his Piano Concerto No.2 in F major, Op.102 (1957) with Alexander Gauk
and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, an irresistible partnership. The
composer keeps a fast tempo to drive the music forward in the Allegro, a real urgency, full of verve.
There is an Andante that really
delivers on poetry and poise, never sentimental, allowing the music to keep a
forward push, beautiful in its directness. Finally there is a rollicking Allegro showing the composer to be a
formidable pianist. Gauk provides a phenomenal accompaniment in one of the
liveliest and most impressive performances on record.
The recording is sometimes a little thin but is nevertheless
impressive for a 1957 radio broadcast.
Shostakovich here provides a spontaneity in the Allegretto of his Piano Concerto No.1 in C minor, Op.35 (1933) that doesn’t often appear
on other recordings. There is a certain wildness, aided and abetted by a fine
trumpeter in Josif Volovmk who brings a very Russian vibrato. The Moscow
Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Samuil Samosud. Again in the Lento – attacca the composer brings much
poetry through a directness of approach, slowly and impressively building the
movement through some intensely dramatic bars with Volovmk’s trumpet adding
much of a lament. After an often dark and dramatic Moderato – attacca, they spring into a light and fleet Allegro con brio with more scintillating
playing from Shostakovich and, indeed, from Volovmk and the Moscow Philharmonic
Orchestra. All seem to be enjoying this rather burlesque finale immensely.
The recording here is most definitely thinner and
reverberant but still more than acceptable. There is some audible audience
noise.
Father and son, Dmitri and the 15 year old student Maxim join
forces for the Concertino for Two Pianos
in A minor, Op. 94 (1954) with a quite lovely Adagio, beautifully paced, before
a wonderfully fleet Allegretto. Both pianists provide some impressive playing,
though one can hear the elder musician providing some of the most fluent and
expansive, indeed virtuosic passages. This is a rarity in more ways than one and
with a very good recording made in 1957 at the Moscow Conservatory whilst Maxim
was still a student at the Central Music School.
To have the composer with the Beethoven Quartet playing the Piano Quintet in G major, Op.57 (1940) that
opens Disc: 2 is quite special.
Remarkably well recorded live in 1957 they bring a wonderful authenticity, a
real depth and character to the Prelude:
Lento. In the Fugue: Adagio they
achieve moments of heart rending emotion. The Scherzo: Allegretto brings some stunningly intense, vibrant playing
before an Intermezzo: Lento that has
an inevitable forward movement, often touched with intense grief. They run
gently into the Finale: Allegretto
before gaining in urgency only to find the opening flow to run to the coda.
This is a quite wonderful performance.
It is a great artist and friend who joins Shostakovich in the Cello Sonata in D minor, Op.40 (1934), Mstislav Rostropovich. Here
we have another remarkably vivid recording made live on the same day as the
Quintet. Both find an intuitive response in the Moderato, Rostropovich extracting a quite wonderful emotional pull,
both bringing a natural freedom and spontaneity. They are quite stunning in the
Moderato con moto driving this music
forward through some intensely played bars.
Rostropovich builds a tremendous Largo, extracting so much intense feeling, with a terrific tone
right across the spectrum, Shostakovich responding with an equal intensity. The
composer brings a lovely light touch to the Allegretto
to which the cellist responds with a terrific flair as the music soon hurtles
ahead. Here are two of the finest figures from 20th century music
bringing such panache and virtuosity.
Violinist, Dmitri Tsyganov arranged Shostakovich’s piano Preludes, Op.34 for violin and piano and here plays four of them with the composer, recorded in 1957. They are fascinating arrangements
opening with No. 10 in C sharp minor where
Tsyganov brings exquisite delicacy, timbres and textures with the composer
adding a wonderfully subtle accompaniment. Both bring a fine vibrancy to No. 16 in B flat minor with wonderfully
controlled dynamics. No. 15 in D-flat major
finds Shostakovich taking a terrific piano line around the violin before No. 24 in D minor has a fine rhythmic
phrasing, full of wit and sparkle.
It is good to have three of the Preludes and Fugues,
Op.87 (1950-1) in such clear recordings with a great presence. The composer
brings a wonderful sense of gentle nostalgia to the Prelude of No. 5 in D major,
quite wonderful before rising in the Fugue
through passages of fast moving fugal writing with a real freedom and
spontaneity. He brings such breadth and
thoughtfulness in the Prelude of No. 23 in F major, running through an
absolutely terrific Fugue, so gentle
and poised yet with an underlying forward drive. No. 3 in G major brings great authority and strength in the Prelude before skipping with such ease
and delight into the Fugue where he
shows exceptional phrasing and control of individual lines. Absolutely terrific.
This new release is an absolute gold mine of Shostakovich
performances, remarkably well re-mastered and quite irresistible. It is not
clear from the booklet if these are stereo recordings. The cover of the booklet
has the banner ‘Genuine Stereo Lab’ suggesting that they are. They certainly
have a depth and breadth that sounds to me like stereo. There are useful
booklet notes but no texts for the Op.79 song cycle.
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