Dmitri Shostakovich:
- Two Piano concertos and violin/piano sonata Op. 134
The many facets of Shostakovich’s music are demonstrated in this excellent CD. His youthful spirits are ever-present in the 1932 concerto for piano, solo trumpet, and strings. The brilliant writing for trumpet is played by Jeroen Bewaerts. The no less amazing pianist is Alexander Melnikov.
Shostakovich’s unique style is the way he engages the listener’s imagination by applying different languages and using them in unexpected ways. The result is music that often has two faces, sometimes expressing ecstasy and sometimes plunged into emptiness. Accompanied by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Teodor Currentzis, Alexander Melnikov captures this feeling beautifully in the two Piano Concertos, and perhaps still more poignantly, with the Violin Sonata Op.134.
Now here are some videos for you:
Here is Isabelle Faust, violin, and Alexander Melnikov, piano, in Beethoven’s Violin Sonata #10 In G, Op. 96:
And next, here is the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 2, Performed by Kiril Gerstein, piano:
