Shostakovich: Prelude & Fugue for piano, Op. 87 No. 4 in E minor

Shostakovich composed his 24 Preludes and Fugues specifically for the Bach anniversary in Leipzig and the two composers were paired on recordings from very early on. In this project, Glemser wanted to connect the two composers much more intimately and not “musicologically”. It was more important to establish a sound dramaturgic sequence – to find corresponding moods.

Lin’s CD “Preludes to a Revolution”, Russian piano music, also on this label was a critical success. Here she concentrates on an extensive work by Shostakovich which has been neglected. She is an exciting pianist and her mastery of the composer’s idiom is singular and compelling.

David Jalbert makes his long-awaited ATMA debut with a masterly interpretation of Shostakovich’s keyboard masterpiece, the 24 Preludes and fugues.

The lifelong tension between Shostakovich and the Soviet musical establishment is well known. Most of his compositions reflect the fine musical line the composer had to tread, and the sometimes strained duality that often resulted. The 24 Preludes and fugues are among his few “private” works, in which he did not need to be so careful to camouflage his true voice. They are 'pure' music, stripped of all ideology or intent to stimulate patriotism.

Canadian pianist Jalbert has a growing career as a soloist, and has also appeared on disc and in recital as a duo partner, particularly with cellist Denise Djokic, and as a chamber musician. Recorded in August and September, 2007, at the Domaine Forget’s Salle Françoys Bernier, by ATMA’s Anne-Marie Sylvestre.