Yeah, don’t get me wrong, they’re great… I just didn’t think they’d have the kind of Russian sound that I love so much. And for the most part, they don’t, but the recording is pleasing nonetheless.
By the way, there are a few Shostakovich piano works that I don’t think are so great… but the 24 Preludes and fugues are, for the most part, utterly compelling. I’d say out of the 24, there are about 18 that I LOVE.
Also, I like the 1st and 2nd Sonatas and I enjoy a number of the preludes Op. 34 and the Fantastic dances. He didn’t really write a whole lot else, so I guess you could call me a fan of his piano works.
That said, I find his Symphonies and Chamber music to be his most impressive work.
I think it’s just Shostakovich’s idiom itself that doesn’t do much for me. His form of “dissonant counterpoint” always comes off as rather juvenile for some reason. Now, a composer like Hindemith for instance, on the whole comes off much more convincingly in a relatively similar style.
Understood about Ax/Stern. I’m into the Russians more-so as well. About the Shostakovich; I need to give those P + F’s another listen, for some reason they have never attracted me but I found them neat.
If I could go a step beyond that maybe I would want to learn some, and I am a sucker for counterpoint. It would be nice to want to learn some dense counterpoint aside from Bach and Franck.
Would you consider the Ashkenazy recording good? I am very impressed by it, and it’s also the only one that I own/have.