GREAT RECORDINGS phase 11

SHOSTAKOVICH: PIANO CONCERTOS*
3 FANTASTIC DANCES &
5 PRELUDES AND FUGUES, Op.87
Dmitri Shostakovich
*Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française/André Cluytens

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'Shostakovich was a highly skilled player and these performances of his piano concertos are quite brilliant. In a selection of the Op.87 Preludes & Fugues his playing is very compelling and highly concentrated.' (Gramophone)

In his twenties Shostakovich faced the difficult choice of pursuing a career as a concert pianist or devoting his life to composition. Greatly gifted as the former, he opted for the latter, though he continued to play the piano in public, but only in his own music.

These important recordings, made in Paris when the composer was in his early fifties, give us his view of how he thought his two scintillating piano concertos should go. Both works have become popular, particularly the second concerto, written in 1957 for his teenage son Maxim and boasting a beautifully lyrical slow movement.

Additionally, the composer offers us some more serious fare with a selection of his Op.87 Preludes & Fugues (1950-51), inspired by Bach's example, but very much in the bitter-sweet language that is identifiably Shostakovich's own.