Shostakowitsch: 24 preludes op. 34

Dmitri Shostakovich committed his twenty-four preludes to paper with great ease. The master of wit, irony, satire, and deeper meaning required precisely two months to write them down. The dogma chamber orchestra now for the first time has recorded these precious gems, originally composed for piano, in a version for string orchestra lending new dimensions to the profound humor of the original. There are broadly flowing string passages like those in the third prelude, which Shostakovich composed on New Year’s Eve 1932, or waltzes that within a few seconds are transformed into highly virtuosic chaos (No. 2). A grotesque march (No. 16) is followed by an idyllic and kitschy violin solo taking aim at salon-style virtuosity. Also available: Tchaikovsky: Serenade op. 48, Souvenir de Florence op. 70 Audiomax 912 1654-6 (Hybrid-SACD) “American Stringbook” David Diamond: Rounds for String Orchestra (1944); Arthur Foote: Suite in E op. 63; Samuel Barber: Serenade op. 1, Adagio op. 11; William Schuman: Symphony No. 5 Audiomax 912 1717-6 (Hybrid-SACD)