Alexander Melnikov and Dmitri Shostakovich

Around seven years ago, I wrote of my pleasure in listening to Alexander Melnikov playing the 24 Preludes & Fugues of Dmitri Shostakovich. Well, I am still listening, and still with great pleasure. Like some gnarled old priest who always keeps a copy of the Bible close to hand, the 2-CD set of Shostakovich is usually near my hand, since the music lends itself admirably to frequent listening in short bursts. My one gripe is that the preludes and the fugues are banded separately, which means one cannot shuffle-play the works; it is too easy with 24 pieces on two CDs to play the same half dozen works each time, only rarely reaching numbers 20-24.

Be that as it may; these preludes & fugues are most enjoyable listening, and are beautifully played by Melnikov. For me, Shostakovich was the most significant composer of the 20th century, a century that probably did not produce any great composers of the ilk of Bach, Mozart or Beethoven. Unlike so many 20th century composers, Shostakovich put real emotions into his music; his music is rarely dull or routine. "The 24" is a long work — fully two and a half hours — but the musical inspiration is high, and the craftsmanship superb; it is intriguing to imagine Bach and Shostakovich getting together and playing their respective preludes and fugues to each other. I suspect Bach would have been intrigued and impressed by the Russian's oeuvre.