Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 and Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

Featuring

Peter Donohoe
David Curtis
Orchestra of the Swan
Dmitri Shostakovich

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Composition History

Shostakovich composed his Second Piano Concerto in 1957 for his son, Maxim, who was studying at Moscow's Central School and showing promise as a concert pianist.

Compositional Technique

The finale of Shostakovich's Second Piano Sonata is a set of nine variations, a direct tribute to his teacher Leonid Nikolayev who recommended variation writing as an exercise for composers.

Composer Biography

Dmitri Shostakovich was considered one of the brightest hopes of Soviet music, having been unanimously accepted into the Leningrad Conservatory's post-graduate composition course at age 19.

Compositional Technique

Shostakovich's First Piano Sonata shows influences from Sergei Prokofiev, a prominent Russian composer, with echoes of Prokofiev's Third Piano Sonata and his Vision fugitive.

Composition History

Shostakovich composed his Second Piano Sonata in tribute to his Conservatory piano professor, Leonid Nikolayev, who died from typhoid fever in 1942 during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

Composition History

Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto, originally titled 'Concerto for piano, trumpet and strings', was initially conceived as a trumpet concerto, with the piano added later.

Performer Biography

Peter Donohoe, the pianist on this recording, is an acclaimed performer known for his musicianship, stylistic versatility, and commanding technique, and has received a CBE for services to classical music.