Piano Quintet, op. 57[a]; Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67[b]; Preludes Nos. 8 and 22 from Twenty-four Preludes, op. 34[c]; Children's Notebook, op. 69[d]; Three Fantastic Dances, op. 5[e].
Dmitri Shostakovich (piano and introducing pieces in [d]); Beethoven String Quartet[a]: Dmitri Tsyganov (violin 1)[b], Vasily Shirinsky (violin 2), Vadim Borisovsky (viola), Sergei Shirinsky (cello)[b].
Doremi DHR-7787. ADD mono. TT 64:32.
Listed incorrectly as recorded 1949[a], 1945[b], 1946[c,d,e].

We can never have enough of Shostakovich’s own recordings of his own works. It was a great disappointment when Revelation’s discs of the composer’s playing disappeared from the store shelves when that firm ceased operations. Fortunately, some new releases are filling this gap, and the Doremi issues are especially welcome. Listening to the Doremi discs, one might forget that these are remastered recordings, so authentic and clear is the sound.

Although much less important for listeners, the liner notes and the cover of the disc present some questionable information. For example, the disc dates the recording of the Quintet, op. 57 from 1949. This cannot be true since Shostakovich and the Beethoven Quartet recorded this piece only twice: in 1940 and 1955. The variant on the Doremi disc is in fact the 1955 recording, awarded the "Grand Prix" in Paris. It is a very polished and brilliant performance where all interpretive details and tempos are carefully thought through and perfected by the performers.

Unlike the Quintet, the performance of the Second Trio on the disc represents the first of the two recordings made by Shostakovich. The second recording was made during the Prague Spring Festival in 1947 (not 1946 as the notes claim; this date applies to the present recording) with Oistrakh and Sadlo. Although Shostakovich’s playing is as bold and exciting here as it is in the second recording, Tsyganov’s and Shirinsky’s performances are less glamorous than those of Oistrakh and Sadlo. The present performance has different tempos, dynamics, and phrasing. It is an interesting document of the composer’s ability to adjust to different ensemble partners.

In Shostakovich’s playing, his elegant expressive articulation enhances the playfulness of the F# minor Prelude, op. 34. The G minor Prelude, on the other hand, is a good exponent of his dislike of over-emotional outpouring, although it sounds a bit too ascetic to my taste. Doremi’s date for the Preludes is also highly questionable. These Preludes were recorded twice, and Doremi’s variants are identical with the 1950 recordings on Revelation (RV70007).

In the composer’s interpretation of the Children's Notebook, op. 69, I always enjoy the subtle humour of his musical characterization, though the fast tempos of the March, Mechanical Doll, and Birthdays are hardly possible for young children to sustain. These pieces and the Fantastic Dances, op. 5 were also recorded during the Prague Festival of 1947 (again, Doremi’s date of 1946 is incorrect).

This performance of the Dances is the better one of the two recorded by Shostakovich. When he recorded the Dances in Paris in 1958 (EMI Classics CDC 7 54606 2), his aching hand did not obey. Interestingly, the tempos of both recordings are virtually identical.

This disc differs from others containing the same pieces almost as much as a genuine artist’s copy would differ from a postcard. In this light, the claim that this Second Trio recording is here for the "first time on CD" is not only misleading (it appeared on Revelation RV 70007), but unnecessary; the excellent quality of the restoration done by Jacob Harnoy and his team is what is worth advertising. It is professional, and obviously a labour of love.

There is another unexpected bonus of this issue. On the outer side of its liner notes, together with the pictures of the composer and the violinist Dmitri Tsyganov, are two photographs of the extremely rare original records - those presumably remastered for the present edition. The Russian title Aprelevsky zavod and the production code number of the records are clearly readable. This helps to identify the dates of Shostakovich’s actual recordings of the pieces; there is still much to clarify in this regard.

If you do not have Shostakovich’s performances on CD, this disc is a must. But even if you have previous releases of the same recordings, Doremi’s remastering will make a valuable addition to your collection.

Sofia Moshevich
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DSCH No. 18.
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