Shostakovich glitters in Stone's hands

Pianist Colin Stone plays Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues with measured beauty to unearth the true meaning of the Russian genius

Composer: Shostakovich
Repertoire: 24 Preludes and Fugues
Artists: Colin Stone (piano)
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Instrumental
Label: Big Ears 005

Shostakovich wrote his Preludes and Fugues in 1950 after the models of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and the key scheme of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, largely inspired by the playing of Tatyana Nikolaeva. Colin Stone plays them with tremendous beauty, affection and a sort of self-effacing brilliance: technically dazzling pieces such as the A minor Prelude have plenty of rapidity and glitter, yet without any hard edges or show-off brashness. Instead, his playing is sensible, well-reasoned and engaging; it’s like listening to a fascinating discussion between the fugal voices about what Bach and Chopin really meant to the troubled Russian genius.