R4 Yulianna Avdeeva

ABOUT THE CONCERT

Shostakovich’s composition of the piano cycle 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 was prompted by a visit to Leipzig in July 1950, where he attended the 200th anniversary celebrations of Johann Sebastian Bach’s death, and by the performance skills of Russian piano virtuoso Tatyana Nikolayeva. Shostakovich composed the cycle, an obvious echo of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, as well as Frederic Chopin’s 24 Preludes, in Moscow in late 1950 and early 1951. Although the work did not meet with success in the Soviet Union, Tatyana Nikolayeva miraculously managed to obtain official approval for its public performance in the summer of 1952. At a time when abstract music had become an undesirable, even dangerous, enterprise in the Soviet Union, the performance of Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues was a revelation. Performing a complete cycle is always a great challenge for any pianist and requires mature performance mastery.

Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva gained worldwide recognition when she won first prize at the 2010 Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. She became only the fourth woman in the world to do so. Today she is a sought-after performer whose fiery temperament and virtuosic, energetic and sensitive playing captivate audiences around the world.

 PROGRAM

Dmitri Shostakovich
24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87

THE CAST

Yulianna Avdeeva – piano