Tatiana Nikolayeva - Shostakovich - Naxos Deutschland

Shostakovich's cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues always held a special place in Tatiana Nikolayeva's vast repertoire. She inspired and premiered the work in Leningrad in 1952 and it was also the last piece she ever performed on stage before her untimely dath in 1993. The lifelong friendship between the composer and the performer started when the 26-year-old Nikolayeva won first prize at the 1950 Bach Piano competition organized in Leipzig for the bicennial of the German composer's death. As a member of the jury, Shostakovich was immensely impressed by her playing. Inspired by the experiece, he returned to Moscow to compose his own set of Preludes and Fugues from 10 October 1950 to 25 February 1951. Nikolayeva witnessed the ongoing creative process. Taking only one or two days to complete each new prelude and fugue, Shostakovich would ask her to come to his Moscow apartment where he played for Nikolayeva the latest piece he had composed for her.