Shostakovich: Prelude & Fugue for piano, Op. 87 No. 6 in B minor - download (MP3 & FLAC)

“Here's a Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues cycle to be reckoned with. It starts none too promisingly, with (by the highest standards) a rhythmically stiff, tonally lumpy C-major prelude and some overpedalling in the fugue. However, the neo-Baroque figuration of the A minor prelude and its spiky fugue, on the other hand, presents his true credentials. On form and well prepared, as here, Ashkenazy remains a formidably fluent pianist, and the clarity and energy he brings to the faster, denser pieces is surpassed only by Richter (Philips). The sound itself is quite 'pingy', with a generous ambience behind it. That serves to heighten the impact of the more demonstrative pieces, but makes it difficult for Ashkenazy to sustain the atmosphere of the more meditative ones. Or maybe he simply doesn't feel the music that way. In the final D minor Fugue (No 24), where you can almost hear Shostakovich's 10th Symphony being born, Ashkenazy fails to build the texture as mightily as the early stages lead you to expect. Nikolaieva surpasses him here, and ingeneral she reveals both subtler and grander perspectives, especially in her tauter, more drily recorded 1987 Melodiya set. Even so the balance-sheet for Ashkenazy comes out comfortably in the black. For consistency of pianism, straightforward integrity of interpretation and high quality of recording, his set can be warmly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…Jenny Lin… brings distinct virtues of her own to Shostakovich's supreme contrapuntal opus: above all, a crystalline clarity of phrasing and voice-leading, and a remarkably sensitive range of touch and accent.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2009 ****

"Surely the Bach Preludes shouldn't prick like a thousand needles; the fugues can't possibly survive the savage dynamic range unleashed on them here by Mustonen, yet they do, and your appreciation of the music is enhanced in the process… Mustonen's delicacy, the feather-light touch, the luminous beauty of the tone are all utterly ravishing, and Shostakovich's quirkiness is respected rather than exaggerated." Radio 3 Disc of the Week

“On Naxos, the younger Russian ex-patriot Konstantin Scherbakov represents a fabulous bargain. He displays wonderfully nimble, energetic finger work and scores over Ashkenazy in the meditative, slow fugues." Gramophone