Shostakovich - Preludes and Fugues, Op.87, Book I - Tatiana Nikolayeva

[@fatherglyn]

In early 1990/1 I had the privilege of hearing her play the 24 Preludes and Fugues over 2 nights at the Wigmore Hall in London. At the end of the first concert people kept on calling for encores which she obliged. Then, quite suddenly, she stood up (she was not very tall), firmly closed the piano and announced ‘now the music is ended, now we will drink!’. The applause was rapturous and I have been devoted to her ever since :)

[@hansplougolsen9568]

Well spoken by Tatiana ! Capt Olsen.

[@hansplougolsen9568]

Yes, Let us Drink for Her and how she plays and knows DS' music

[@gmanj88]

Legendary.

[@teofiliovich]

fatherglyn has

[@sandraheaton1084]

what a wonderful anecdote!

[@metteholm4833]

She was a good friend of Schostakovich - and a composer herself. She makes me appreciate Schostakovich.

[@massimocimino4012]

In assoluto uno dei video più belli della grande Musica che esiste oggi sulla rete...

[@jorgeurzuaurzua4011]

Tatiana Nikolayeva was without question one of the greatest pianists of the XXth century. Her rendition of the Goldberg variations rates among the very best in history. Her understanding of Dimitri Shostakovich piano compositions is arguably number one in the world. Thanks for the privilege of sharing this awesome rendering of Book one of the Preludes and Fugues. A real privilege.

[@BrucknerMotet]

I read that when she was young, she competed in an event judged by, among others, Shostakovich, and one of the rules was that each competitor had to play one of Bach's WTC preludes and fugues. This gave the competitors time to learn and perfect just one of them. Apparently she was already well-versed in all 48 of them, and instead of committing to one piece, she worked on polishing them all, and when it came time to tell the judges which one she would play, she instead asked them to select which one she should play, thereby impressing the hell out of the panel. And of course she nailed the one they chose for her.

[@freshname]

@@BrucknerMotet Yes, as far as I recall that was a Bach competition in Leipzig. An the saying is that she was the inspiration for Shostakovich to compose it. Nonetheless he had her in mind when composing.

[@julianphilippklein6780]

@@BrucknerMotet which one was it?

[@talastra]

@@BrucknerMotet I heard it was one of the fugues from Kunst der Fuge

[@mackeralPelog]

@iggy v link?

[@antoniocarlosantunesantune3217]

Shostakovich is undoubtedly the greatest and best composer of the 20th century! A great artist! ....

[@ecz3393]

Bartok?

[@yashbspianoandcompositions1042]

Stravinsky :- Hold my Spring

[@PifflePrattle]

Ultimately singling out someone as the best or greatest of a century is futile. He is certainly a contender, but reasonable people will politely disagree and maybe constructively discuss the merits of their favourite. Fools will argue vehemently for their idol. There is an extra aspect to Shostakovich though and that is the socio political context of his life. Not many composers have had to worry quite so strongly about the opinions of an influential music critic as Shostakovich.

[@remomazzetti8757]

Undoubtedly, this is only your opinion and one not shared by everyone, not even lovers of Shostakovich.

[@fredvacher3998]

I like him very much too ❤. Everything he did is gold.

[@katparker1143]

This must bring back so many memories for her

[@zinam5795]

Of course ! Almost all her live she 's a friend -- DDCH

[@lucianobonomi5291]

Grande Shostakovich, Grande Nikolayeva. Ti riempiono l'anima.

[@jordansparks6113]

Amazing. The best version. It’s a revelation everytime I hear it.

[@jovesheerwater]

She played for Stravinsky when he visited Moscow in 1962. Thanks for letting me see her.

[@iCancrizans]

Bravo! Shostakovich dedicated Op. 87 to her. She also premiered the work in the early 1950s.

[@vittoriomarano8230]

I didn't know about the dedication..thank you. I'm in love with these masterpieces!

[@PifflePrattle]

Indeed he did, after hearing her perform the Bach 48.

[@yicantong2299]

Wow,thank you guys for this information

[@ammyvl1]

@@PifflePrattle Yeah my teacher studied with her and apparently shostakovich liked her performance so much that he wrote all of these preludes for her (writing one about every 3 days, which is very fast compared to usual).

[@valentnl]

tears in my eyes

[@davidthompson3255]

She owns this music! One could imagine she actually composed it. It's a testament to her commitment to this work of genius.

[@mativit5301]

I played the no4 (11:54), a genius fugue (14:49); of course it's my favorite; brings back memories. back then there was no internet so I had no idea THESE recordings existed: I can see and hear her playing all of them. amazing.

[@judithnelson1665]

Amazing ! Bach appearing under the dark star of Stalin. All praise to Demitry S. and Tatiana.A great achievement in ART. Thank you ,profoundly .

[@aquilonnord1700]

Poor you,who today still believes it was dark time! Hard,difficult, even hungry - but NOT dark..

[@herodot2]

This a major fugue is a wonder of beauty. 34:05. And what fine, controlled and musical playing by Nikolayeva. She is an indispensable pianist the Russian piano school has gifted to the world - Rubinstein, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Neuhaus, Sofronitzky, Yudina, Richter, Gilels, Grinberg, Nikolayeva, Ashkenazy, Sokolov, Kissin, Trifonov, and so many more

[@crucifiedresurrected6692]

Helvete_Ingres it sounds beautiful though

[@GrishaKrivchenia]

exactly! It's a brilliant little fugue... Shostakovich is not afraid of dissonance, there is plenty of it in Op. 87!

[@herodot2]

No harmonic tension, but plentiful counterpunctual and rhythmic interest that only a more analytical versed musical mind will know to appreciate.

[@roiranen5950]

@@helvete_ingres4717 Im so sorry for you that you can't allow yourself enjoy music that isn't sophisticated enough for you. Sometimes geniousity is in simlicity, and this piece is pure genius. It paints a picture of youth and innocence, that sound so simple, but very crowded considering counterpoint. You can tell Nikolayeva is enjoying herself, and she probably knows a thing or two about music.

[@KrisVanMoerbei]

Rubinstein studied in Warsaw and further in Berlin. How is that "russian" ??

[@michaelstutzman6285]

Beautiful, especially the haunting E minor. Throughout all, her sensitivity and the clarity of the counterpoint is amazing.

[@da__lang]

The E minor is a particular favorite for me as well. So starkly beautiful.

[@oboist3]

There is a reflective detachment in these works that can make them a little difficult to embrace as a listener at first, but it does come with repeated study and there is so much beauty and craftsmanship here. Tatania Nikolayeva understands these works instinctively and her performances amaze me.

[@milky_toast_]

Few pieces have grown on me as much with repeated listening and reading as Shostakovitch's preludes and fugues.

[@treesny]

"Reflective detachment"? Well, it depends who's playing them. There is exactly ONE specific expressive marking ("tranquillo") in the entire score, so interpretations are extraordinarily varied. For me, the pianist who best captures the essence of Shostakovich's profoundly troubled artistic personality in this cycle is Roger Woodward on his landmark 1975 recording... about as far away from "reflective detachment" as possible, which makes the few, fleeting oases of tranquility all the more poignant.

[@vittoriomarano8230]

The emotions and states of mind inside this masterwork are out of this world. You can perceive a description of the entire life of a human being.

[@WarinPartita6]

Legendary performance​ from​ one​ of​ the​ great​est​ keyboard artist​s​ in​ the​ 20th century​

[@TheSteveBerlin]

Such exquisite playing. Thank you! I too, had the privilege of seeing Ms. Nikolayeva play these in Chicago in 1992. She captures Shostakovich's unique, calm but icily wary beauty. At one point a few years later, Leif Ove Andsnes played a recital in which he interspersed preludes and fugues by JS Bach and Dmitri Dmitrievich, and at times it was difficult to tell whose was whose.

[@bholaoates1542]

Thank you for posting this wonderful performance of these great pieces of music. I am relatively new to this type of music, having been exposed to these pieces by Keith Jarrett's recording of them in 1992. Being a jazz fan, I had never heard of Ms. Nikolayeva before then. Now that the door has been opened for me I am looking forward to hearing many other recordings of this amazing artist and deepening my appreciation of classical music.

[@bholaoates1542]

@@teacoffee42 Thanks very much.

[@ivebarraco]

hey, how's the journey going on, six years later?

[@bigfan2710]

This has moved me to tears.

[@Zorza123123]

Tatiana Nikolayeva, the great pianist !

[@StephenJackson1958]

Absolute joy, authenticity, and a link to history

[@karimhabet6404]

love it. Still the best performer of these magnificent pieces.

[@GrishaKrivchenia]

Karim Habet -- This is a great performance in many respects. However, Keith Jarrett (ECM records, 1992) is a truly mind-blowing version.

[@yashbspianoandcompositions1042]

Igor Levit?

[@AsrielKujo]

that first one is magical

[@GUILLOM]

Yes

[@marcellosardelli6192]

Absolutely amazing. Tatiana plays Shostakovich as a Muse of the great Maestro.

[@ГалинаАникина-ж3ы]

Великий музыкант -Великое исполнение!

[@jonathang3473]

No.10 (48'45'' - 55'35'') is a great place to start if you are new to these - 7 minutes of pure genius and beautifully voiced. Sublime.

[@ciararespect4296]

I've played them all but a load of rubbish really. He knew how to compose but never made any decent music except his famous waltz

[@franzkafka293]

@@ciararespect4296 I planned to downvote you but you are not worth even one extra stroke

[@ciararespect4296]

@@franzkafka293 oohh truth hurts...so instead you typed a whole paragraph lol, Oh the irony 😂

[@jtmindc]

@@ciararespect4296yikes - we know better. Attempting and playing a composition are two very different things 🤨

[@10mimu]

The E minor prelude & fugue are amazing. So much regret :(

[@poo2uhaha]

I've been looking for you, you damn thing! Now I need to go teach that Nashandra a lesson or two...

[@Rigpasword]

The greatest work for solo piano of the 20th century played by the woman to whom DSCH dedicated it. Her rendition is definitive but there are others that are also good such as the Keith Jarrett and the Konstantin Sherbakov versions. The work deserves way more attention than it gets. Every major pianist should have a recording or two of this amazing work, similar to every cellist who finds it necessary to record the Bach cello suites.

[@DieFlabbergast]

The Sherbakov version gets my vote, but de gustibus ...

[@Rigpasword]

@@DieFlabbergast My new favorite of the Op87 is the Igor Levit version paired with Ronald Stevenson's "Passacaglia On DSCH" - check it out.

[@mr2646]

Quelle magnifique artiste !

[@sakuntalabasu1493]

Absolutely fantastic interpretation, the lyrical nature of her playing is stunning. I had been a fan of her Bach performances but this is just as compelling. Thank you so much for this upload.

[@leestudio2038]

I so love this performance! Nikolayeva is magnificent and plays with musical clarity! So inspiring! Thank you for posting this.

[@brunftbert3381]

Er hat sich von Bach nicht erschrecken lassen. Er hat es TROTZDEM gemacht. Wow! Größte Hochachtung.

[@hjl1970-musica]

Wahre große Komponisten lassen sich normalerweise von niemandem erschrecken. Genauso hat sich Johann Sebastian Bach nicht von Dieterich Buxtehude oder Antonio Vivaldi erschrecken lassen. :-)

[@brunftbert3381]

@@hjl1970-musica Auch wieder wahr...:-)))

[@Kiky812]

I came here because many years ago, in 1996 or so, I heard this piece as part of the soundtrack of an amazing movie called "Smoke" (directed by Wayne Wang, starring William Hurt, Havery Keitel, Harold Perrineau Jr, Stockard Channing) and the music was beautifully integrated with images and narration...one of those magic combinations that only cinema can create, it was life changing...

[@fairly75]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3vYoKZ8p8xlpZIsi=XXX2evERbieR_h8f It’s a pity that she didn’t know the composer from whom Shostakovich took the ideas for this work. The first after Bach was Zaderatsky. Russian white officer of the tsarist army. he sat in the gulag, while Shostakovich received bonuses from the Georgian cannibal. And yes, Shostakovich knew about Zaderatsky’s cycle and remained silent, using the idea.

[@fredvacher3998]

Shostakovich as a young pianist would improvise in picture houses. He has always had this picturesque and moving quality in his music ❤

[@NICUofficial]

lol I had the idiocy to hesitate for a moment when I saw a Konstantin Scherbakov recording in the KZbin results vs what looked like a gentle grandma at the home piano after 2 seconds of her playing I laughed a single tear and closed the Sherbakov tab before adding this one to my classical playlist

[@beeble2003]

But not just any gentle grandma -- the very gentle grandma that Shostakovich wrote the piece for! (Well, she wasn't a grandma then but...)

[@johandemaertelaere4056]

Wonderfull music, wonderfull lady!!

[@michaeltuffli3600]

This is so great...I’m fortunate to have heard her play these wonderful works...thank you!

[@BlackHermit]

Strong performance Tatiana Nikolayeva.

[@ourson5958]

Remarquable..Bravo!

[@Mouse.___.]

Спасибо, очень красиво и с душой

[@timward276]

I think these Preludes and Fugues can stand alongside Bach's, which is appropriate, because they were written in JSB's honor. They run such a range of emotion, from the serene calm of the C major fugue, to the soaring beauty of the A major, to the sadness in the f# minor (with that wonderful blue note in the subject, that creates harmonic tension that isn't resolved until the very end)

[@lisaragsdale1530]

Yes there is a "relation," yet they were composed by 2 completely different composers almost 200 years apart and in very different situations. As a pianist and composer, I just don't think they need to be brought out together for any reason.

[@simon-pierregravel4702]

@@lisaragsdale1530 There is more than a simple relation between the 2. Even Wikipedia will inform you about multiple references and imitations. There is no point to separate the 2 works, Shostakovich would not exist without Bach.

[@steveegallo3384]

@timward276 -- Very true....and well-put....BRAVO from Acapulco!

[@AlexanderArsov]

@@simon-pierregravel4702 , and what is the point of linking them? Whatever inspiration Shostakovich may have drawn from Bach, his cycle is Shostakovich through and through. No question of imitation at all, never mind what the Omniscient Entity says. Good or bad, this is an independent work and should stand or fall by its own. Comparisons with Bach are superficial, at best.

[@simon-pierregravel4702]

​@@AlexanderArsovComparison with Bach is never superficial.

[@laspiano765]

Maravilha acabei de ver e ouvi o segundo livro, muito interessante a musica de Shostakovich nas maos magicas de Tatyana Nikolayeva, maravilha ver e ouvir coisas novas para mim que ainda nao tinha conhecido a musica de Shostakovich , obrigado por postasr, 09-12-2018-D-14:12hs.- Brasil.-

[@XavierMacX]

The E minor, b minor, C# minor, and G# minor, both preludes & fugues, should not exist... they are miracles. Too good for this world, but thankful to have them.

[@steveegallo3384]

....yes....YES, indeed......BRAVO from Acapulco!

[@VassilikiKravari]

I absolutely agree, would only add F# minor.

[@XavierMacX]

@@VassilikiKravari F#m is sooo good!! Yes! I mean, really, all of them of course :D

[@VassilikiKravari]

@@XavierMacX Thank you, Xavier. Yes, all of them are wonderful - Book II included, of course! The last prelude/fugue (n° 24) has haunted me for many years.

[@XavierMacX]

@@VassilikiKravari

[@kathrynmcmorrow7170]

Terrific Tatiana!

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Gorgeous music, wonderfully played and beautifully filmed too

[@golfer5990]

Wow! Very musical. I immediately went to # 7 my favorite.

[@valerieheinderyckx4506]

Admirable.

[@НадеждаБогданова-р7э]

Спасибо,Вам! Я ещё хочу послушать,чтобы БО’ЛЬШЕЕ Услышать. 26.04.2023.

[@Dimivim]

Amazing performance!

[@francescopiras5124]

Magnifica esecuzione di una grande opera.

[@vittoriomarano8230]

Molto più che grande.

[@jraldne1]

THANK YOU!!!....THANK YOU!!!...THANK YOU!!!!!......

[@ЭрнестаЛиса]

Я с вами согласна. Скажу больше, Татьяна Николаева вообще играть не умеет. Я, например, её Баха вообще слушать не могу. Это не Бах, это какое то малиновое варенье 😂

[@Renata74]

Eterna rainha do piano !! 😍😍😍😍😘😘

[@vKarl71]

Oh, and she has all this unpredictable music committed to memory.

[@beeble2003]

It was written for her and she'd been playing it for forty years by the time this recording was made.

[@pianistegolfeur]

Quelle tranquilité, quelle assurance : la vraie maîtrise du clavier et dans des oeuvres pas si faciles à jouer, parfois ! De plus, c'était à l'époque parfaitement idiote où filmer la marque du piano était prohibé, pour des raisons de concurrence déloyale ! de sorte que l'on ne peut savoir sur quel instrument elle joue...

[@produzionidalbosco3311]

superb. i'm speechless.

[@JUN2J]

Thank you~

[@lamodernista]

Her artistry has disabused me of the notion that one needs long, slender fingers to play brilliant piano...BRAVA!

[@harvardkarbodie]

Alicia de Larrocha had very small hands too. That didn't inhibit her in the least.

[@brent3522]

Yuja Wang and Khatia Buniatishvilli also have small hands.

[@emilianocorradi4079]

Grazie...

[@서강석-s1t]

many thanks!!!

[@journeymancellist9247]

I have things to do! Yet I can’t pull myself away. How extraordinary this music is! Moments I say “well this is boring” and then “ this is Bach!” And then, “ how sensitive.” And so on. I have things to do! I guess they will wait…

[@crimeancomposer]

Великолепный звук и качество записи хорошее

[@martha2642]

I'm speechless

[@fredvacher3998]

Me the same. Such beauty.

[@GuillermoPSKrebs]

34:04 Heaven on Earth

[@oscarrocabert6268]

This is Rock and Roll

[@tatianababut-conductor]

bravo

[@georgefelty6357]

I believe there are a total of 24 preludes and fugues. This particular transcription is a wonderful performance!

[@vittoriomarano8230]

...transcription...what does it mean?

[@leonidfeygin7397]

#8 reminds me of his 2nd sonata.

[@thiscouldbeatrap]

Secondo me era bravissima anche a fare la parmigiana!

[@88886Moscow]

07:37

[@TorySlusher]

I can't remember exactly, but didn't he mention this pianist in "testimony"? The setting for the video is also interesting, very chill in different from the stodgy expectations.

[@beeble2003]

Probably. The piece was composed for her.

[@malcolmnicoll1165]

Beautiful music sadly interrupted by obnoxious commercials.

[@robinblankenship9234]

With the Soviet regime gone, it is really thrilling to see and hear the true beauty of the Russian soul re-emerge. Bravo.

[@andrewpetersen5272]

Unfortunately, Putin continues to prolong the pain .

[@jpbaugh]

She actually died less than a year later. She had a cerebral hemorrhage during a performance, and died nine days later

[@TheStockwell]

It was in San Francisco, during the lengthy B flat minor fugue. November 13th, 1993. She stopped, looked puzzled or confused, then quietly left the stage. An announcement was made that she was unable to continue the concert; the concert was over. It wasn't a dramatic event. She didn't collapse or otherwise give the impression that something had gone wrong physically.

[@leomiller2291]

@@TheStockwell thank you for this story.

[@renekung4968]

06:04 fugue no.2

[@alessandropelizzoli6613]

E il parere di Ciccolini sulla Musica di Sostakovich...qualcuno se lo ricorda?

[@extrasalt4595]

Hoomeyow!! I own a copy of Scherbatsky's more objective performance, but Mlle. N. Seems to plumb more deeply.

[@joseph941000able]

Does anyone have the sheet music for this?

[@Danlovar]

IMSLP ??

[@chateauferret]

@@Danlovar Nope. Not public domain.

[@milky_toast_]

dm me if you're still interested

[@joseph941000able]

Arthur Newport I’m still interested

[@joseph941000able]

Arthur Newport ok email sent 👍

[@udal17]

А какая там обстановка..оформление

[@ningyizhang4501]

Wonderful music but the ads really jarring

[@johannsebastianbach3411]

I feel like she’s the kind of person who’d force feed you kotlety during lessons! Big babushka vibes! Joking aside, great musician and human!

[@Opuss55]

Very touching, she's better than 99% of asian pianist oh god they play it like robots and only do it for the audience not for the beauty of music.

[@RicardoMartinez-jy5lo]

I never reached this advanced level of piano playing, so this is my question: how easy or hard is it to play preludes like these from memory, as this pianist does?

[@nicolasmatei8886]

It took me one month to learn to play the first prelude and fugue. These pieces aren't necesseraly hard to play by memory (keep in mind that some of these go up to 10 mins), but they require patience when learned because : most of the preludes are accesible but the fugues are hard and technical. If you learn those pieces I recommend you pay close attention to the connotations made by the composer (cresc, dim etc) and when learning the fugues you need to get very technical, learn each of the voices independantly and play these together. I highly recommend you get a teacher if you want to learn those pieces. To answer your question, how easy it is or how hard it is to memorize those pieces (from a technical and psychological perspective), the best way for you to find out is to try but once you start it will have become easier. Keep in mind I am not a professional pianist. Interprets I recommend for shostakovich are Richter, Shostakovich, Ashkenazy and Sofronitsky(only 2 preludes).

[@milky_toast_]

These pieces are HARD in nearly every way. They're technically quite simple, but musically they are immensely difficult. In terms of memorization, I find preludes and fugues of any composer particular troublesome. Having to memorize in the case of fugues 3 or 4 independent voices that reappear in different keys/modalities rather than a relatively simple melody and accompaniment. There's lots of self-similarity in both the preludes and fugues, figures that feel the same in the hands but are different in subtle ways. It requires lots of concentration to be able to know where precisely you are in the music. The A minor prelude for example consists of basically one figure, there are many iterations that are very similar but have one note difference, you have to know the piece very well to know which subtle variation of the figure you need to play when. These ones in particular wander harmonically in such strange ways that often goes contrary to intuition built up by studying older music.

[@beeble2003]

I've no idea how hard it is but I would note that she'd been playing them for forty years by the time this recording was made.

[@ev-ia]

12:00

[@justinholland9844]

The beginning belies how very dark and disturbing this music gets.

[@giorgiocucek7518]

E' rivivere il rinascimento bachiano di Busoni e Casella del primo novecento

[@ev-ia]

15:40

[@yuliastone9704]

17:24

[@へんでりんけ]

great performance, interrupted by too many ads

[@GUILLOM]

Henderinke

[@cubanm81]

Bravisimoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@派耀诚]

How can you put ads on the middle of this? What a travesty.

[@PianoHypnoshroom]

youtube puts ads whether you requested or not

[@EgorOsintsev]

Нет 11 прелдии и фуги

[@oscarrocabert6268]

Schostakovitch was right anyway

[@iconologics7417]

!!!!!!

[@BERENCEV]

Мрачно и величественно.

[@fhilbo1701]

7

[@ciararespect4296]

As beautiful inside as wang is outside and far better pianist 7:08 a gargoyle 😂

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

He only did one book of preludes and fugues. Why call it 'book 1' as if there is another book (like Bach did)? His other set is ONLY preludes.

[@MGJS71]

It's published in 2 volumes: 1 - 12 and 13 - 24.

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

@@MGJS71 yes - in order for most people to think he did 2 sets of 24 [i.e. 48 in total] just like Bach had done (when they first hear of DSCH's 'two books of preludes and fugues', most people don't bother to find out how many he actually did - not 48 like in Bach's 2 books but just a measely 24). It was typical soviet subterfuge and probably not DSCH's fault/will for his 12 to be published as 2 books.

[@yafetpalomeque75]

I mean, it's not especially attractive but this kind of works are the ones someone should study and listen to in order to completely know a composer and get to know his/her essence...

[@lsbrother]

""not especially attractive"" ? - try reading some of the other comments!

[@mashtali1]

Yafet where did you learn that bullshit?

[@evertanders7744]

NOT ESPECIALLY ATTRACTIVE??????? WTF U TALKING ABOUT U SEXISTIC PERVERT

[@BassPride]

Not especially attractive....you mean, but it’s obviously you don’t know she is the pianist Shostakovich wrote this music...and just the first who played....and very probably the only one who took the essence of these prelude and fugue from Shostakovich himself

[@kangchenjunga591]

Yafet Palomeque you do not have a soul do you, a pity.