No one would ever confuse
Dmitri Shostakovich with Johann Sebastian
Bach, but one rare area of similarity
is their composition of keyboard preludes
and fugues in the circle of key signatures.
And these works both by Bach and Shostakovich
have found themselves very agreeable
to arrangement for other instrumental
groups. One immediately thinks of Dmitri
Tsiganov’s arrangements of five of the
Shostakovich piano preludes for violin
and piano, which have been recorded
with great effect by Leonid Kogan, Julian
Sitkovetsky, and others.
And here, after a surprisingly
long time, are arrangements of the Preludes
and Fugues. Not a complete set,
unfortunately, only 14 of the 24. One
naturally wants to know if these are
good arrangements and if they are played
effectively, and if they add anything
to the music as it stands in its keyboard
format. And the answers are yes, yes,
and yes! The arrangements are made as
well as the composer could have wished
and are played with great effect and
sensitivity. And, due to the lyrical
capability of the wind instruments,
many passages take on a new beauty compared
with the keyboard version.
An obvious example
is the number one in C major which contains
long sustained notes and reaches that
are all but impossible on the piano
and which cannot be performed there
without some strain. The woodwinds have
the sostenuto and all the notes;
the performers can concentrate on the
music, not the difficulties, and the
result is a revelatory performance of
a fine work. The opening chorale in
Prelude #19 and the ensuing pedal point
contrasted with antic figurations are
also very effective in this format.
In other places the performers show
their familiarity with Shostakovich’s
symphonic orchestral style and play
with clear awareness of the overall
sonority he achieves there, including
his occasional bits of satire. There
are passages where the contrast between
staccato and legato in
parallel voices is especially effective.
But with all this careful attention
to detail and contrast, the players
everywhere achieve graceful and effective
phrasing and dynamics. The fugues are
generally played attacca right
after the preludes.
The better you know
this music in its keyboard form the
more you will enjoy these arrangements,
and the exceptionally fine performances
they receive here.
Paul Shoemaker
Calefax Reed Quintet: Oliver Boekhorn, oboe;
Ivar Berix, clarinet; Raaf Hekkema, saxophone;
Jelte Althuis, bass clarinet; Alban Wesly, bassoon.
