Preludes & Fugues

The internationally renowned pianist Yulianna Avdeeva presents Shostakovich' "24 Preludes and Fugues" op. 87, one of the most important works in the piano repertoire. This monumental cycle follows Johann Sebastian Bach's "Wohltemperierte Klavier" and is considered one of the most demanding works ever written for piano. Avdeeva joins an elite group of pianists who have taken on the challenge of performing the entire work, which is rarely heard in its entirety. As a supplement to this iconic work, Avdeeva also presents the completion of an alternative "Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor", discovered by renowned Shostakovich expert Olga Digonskaja and completed by composer and Shostakovich biographer Krzysztof Meyer. Shostakovich sketched an initial prelude in C sharp minor in 1950, but then decided to compose a new prelude-fugue pair in this key, which ultimately found its way into Opus 87. The sketch of the original prelude was found in 2005 in the Shostakovich archives in Moscow; Krzysztof Meyer completed the fragment in 2019 and added his own fugue "in the style of Shostakovich". This discovery adds a new, exciting dimension to the cycle and will form an important part of the story behind the album. Yulianna Avdeeva has recently released the albums "Resilience" (2023) and "Chopin: Voyage" (2024), both of which received excellent reviews for their exceptional artistry and interpretation.

Reviews

Stereo 07/2025: "In the year of his 50th anniversary of death, the discography of Dmitri Shostakovich has acquired an attraction: his great, but often avoided piano cycle Preludes and Fugues op. 87 is available in a thoroughly convincing recording with Yulianna Avdeeva. Whether it is light-footed as in the second prelude, or alternately brooding or velvety in the fugue in B minor, determined in the prelude in E flat major or sensual in the prelude in F major: Avdeeva finds convincing solutions, free from exaggeration. She weighs carefully, listens into this music and is always able to reveal the character in question. Her touch: subtle and flexible. Her use of the pedal: cautious. Her tempi: harmonious."