Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Violin Sonata, Op. 134 • 24 Preludes, Op. 34 (arranged for violin and piano)

Aside from both featuring violin and piano, together with the common denominator of their composer, there might not seem to be much of a connection between the two pieces featured on this recording. Yet between them these illustrate crucial if complementary aspects of the music of Dmitry Shostakovich. When focussing, moreover, on the theatrical projects of his earlier years and the symphonic works which came afterwards, it is easy to forget the importance of his piano and chamber music as a repository for some of his most abstract and personal ideas.

By the time of his 24 Preludes—composed, in the order in which they were published, during the winter of 1932–33—the urge to shock has been transmuted into a desire to entertain. This is not to say these pieces, which follow the same tonal order