Prelude in D major - A consistent bass line against playful arpeggiated
chords results in a child-like wonder of the world with a pristine quality.
The music takes no notice of life's burdens; it is thoroughly innocent.
Structural variety is provided by the reversal of roles between the left
and right hands.

Scherbakov has exhibited some weak right hand projection, and he does so
again; he also displays little expansiveness.  By comparison, Nikolyaeva
I & II cover a wider soundstage with right hand projection which is superb.
What all this adds up to is that both Nikolayeva versions project more of
life and its innocence than does Scherbakov.  Ashkenazy's version is the
slowest and the only one over two minutes in length.  I find it has a
deliberate element to it which is at odds with the more spontaneous
operation of a child; however, Ashkenazy does bring a mature aura to the
prelude with dignity (if that's what you want).  Jarrett's expansiveness is
impressive, but like Scherbakov, he has right hand weakness once the roles
are reversed.  The Nikolayeva versions are the most rewarding; Scherbakov
is the least.

Fugue in D major - The fugue continues the playfulness of the prelude,
but now the awakening of youth gives way to its maturation process which
is robust and full of energy.  This effect is greatly due to the piece's
repeated sequence of stuttering notes.  Nikolayeva I is splendid as she
conveys great energy and playfulness with wonderful accenting.  Scherbakov
starts off much too demure and never really takes flight.  Nikolayeva II's
energy level is a little lower than in her earlier recording, but it's
still a big jump up from Scherbakov.  Ashkenazy is excellent and at the
level of Nikolayeva II.  Jarrett is on the slow side, quite smooth, and
relatively relaxed; this is not a robust performance.  However, it's still
highly enjoyable as Jarrett's more reflective interpretation of youth is
fully realized.  Ultimately though, it's Nikolayeva I which delivers the
core of the fugue.

Prelude in B minor - This very strong and interesting prelude has prevalent
double-dotting reminiscent of Handel/Bach and Shostakovich's own symphonies
nos.  5 & 8.  A hero is definitely in the neighborhood, but the music does
not depict the usual type.  The piece is very grim and oppressive and of
industrial strength.  What is happening to our hero? He is not the one
hitting on others; he is being slapped across the side of his head
intensively and continuously.  One could think of this as the hero being
subjected to and beat down by the "systems" in place, systems that have no
place in the natural order of things.

Nikolayeva I is quite a listening experience.  It is her version which
makes me think of "industrial strength"; it has a brutal quality while also
expressing as much lyricism as the music can handle.  Although I have not
thought all that well of her dry and clinical sound, those same properties
combined with the force of her interpretation now result in a performance
of great impact.  Ashkenazy sounds rich, Scherbakov rather bland, Jarrett
sometimes downplays the double-dotting which downplays the heroic aspects,
and Nikolayeva II is very slow and sounds a little sluggish with some
key-banging.  Once I had Nikolayeva I under my skin, the other four
versions just didn't do much for me.

Fugue in B minor - This piece doesn't really have double-dotting, but my
imagery still harkens back to our hero who is awakening from a long period
of slumber.  He has taken on a sense of humanity and humility from his
previous life experiences; these learned traits now make him better able
to develop and implement strategies to combat his enemies.  He still has
the capability to wreck physical destruction, but he is wiser and more
well-rounded to cope with a changed environment.

Scherbakov is relatively fast with a four minute reading.  I feel he does
a great job of providing a momentum that's thoroughly heroic.  His bass
lines are superb in conveying the awakening and bustling activities of the
hero.  By contrast, Nikolayeva I & II clock in at about seven minutes and
present full-course dinners of emotions and shadings.  I love these three
performances.  Ashkenazy and Jarrett take the fast route as Scherbakov
does.  However, Ashkenazy doesn't come close to providing the momentum of
Scherbakov.  Jarrett is the least effective; he possesses the momentum but
little depth.

Prelude & Fugue in A major - I've placed the prelude and fugue together
since, in my view, they express the same mood and feelings.  Awakenings,
as in the B minor set, are still prevalent.  However, this time it's the
awakening of youthful innocence and joy.  The prelude flows smoothly in
12/8 time; the fugue is more expansive with spread arpeggios.  Both pieces
radiate the spring-like step of an exuberant child and are uplifting
listening experiences.  The prelude does have a slight degree of irony, and
the fugue has a little drama; however, those features are subsidiary to the
prevailing emotions.  Perhaps Shostakovich was letting us know that life is
more than just a "bowl of cherries"; personally, I much prefer
strawberries.

Ashkenazy is rather subdued in both the prelude and fugue; there just isn't
much spring in his step.  Also, he could have been much stronger in the
dramatic passage of the fugue.  Never mind subdued, Scherbakov is almost
pensive in the prelude; his fugue is much slower than the norm, quite
dream-like, urgent in the dramatic passage, and beautifully presented.
Scherbakov's fugue beats Ashkenazy's by a wide margin.  Both Nikolayeva
versions are right on target; actually, the more recent one on Hyperion
displays a litte more zest for life and the soundstage is stunning.
Jarrett's performance is similar to Ashkenazy's except he's more
earth-bound and generic.  Overall, the memorable performances of the A
major set are Scherbakov's fugue, Nikolayeva I, and particularly Nikolayeva
II.  This is some of the finest music of its type and a thoroughly
wonderful listening journey.

Prelude in F sharp minor - This playful and whimsical prelude has a
grotesque and irony-ridden quality.  The less rewarding versions come from
Jarrett and Ashkenazy; Jarrett appears facile and generic, and Ashkenazy is
much too relaxed.  Scherbakov gives a fine performance which is excellently
nuanced.  The Nikolayeva versions are the most rewarding.  Both bring out
fully the grotesque quality of the music and do a great job of marrying it
to the prelude's playfulness.  Nikolayeva I is more strongly accented and
youthful, but II's conclusion is a piece of perfection.

Fugue in f sharp minor - There's nothing whimsical about this fugue.
It is dead-serious in its depiction of the neurotic element that has
the potential to take over the psyche, and unnatural social and economic
systems certainly have the power to enhance one's own neurotic levels.
Stretti is a major component which gives the music much of its obsessive
quality as notes and intervals are consistently repeated.

Although Jarrett starts off in benign fashion, his macabre and neurotic
display soon takes over; this is a very effective reading.  His last
2 minutes are exceptional for strength and a sense of being deranged.
Ashkenazy is much more effective and slower at the start than Jarrett, but
his isn't close to the dynamic conclusion that Jarrett provides.  Ashkenazy
just doesn't treat that section of the music with the element of climax.
If I could replace Ashkenazy's conclusion with Jarrett's, I'd be listening
to an exceptional performance.  Of course, given that the tempos are
different, it would never work.

Scherbakov extends the fugue to the 7 minute level; Ashkenazy is under six
minutes.  At the beginning, Scherbakov is too relaxed with accenting even
weaker than Jarrett's.  But like Jarrett, Scherbakov soon redresses the
problem; however, his trip toward the conclusion isn't a match for Jarrett.
I have to place Scherbakov below Jarrett and Ashkenazy.  At his very slow
tempo, Scherbakov needed to enhance his projection and variety of nuance.

One of Nikolayeva's strengths is her projection and accenting.  So,
although her Hyperion issue is even slower than Scherbakov's, I anticipated
a consistently interesting reading and she does not disappoint.  Her
performance has a forward momentum to it not found in the Scherbakov, and
her bleakness is second to none.  The neurotics of the world have taken
over, and the intensity is immense.  This performance is revelatory.

Nikolayeva I wins the slow contest with a reading almost 9 minutes in
length.  I think this may be too much of a good thing.  The momentum of
Nikolayeva II is not here at all, and some portions of the performance
tend to drag a little.  But there's no denying that she fully captures
the essence of the music.

Update: So far, I don't have the different versions bunched together in
quality; it's rather unusual.  Nikolayeva's Hyperion set is clearly winning
my affection, with her Melodiya set not very close.  I prefer the sound on
the Hyperion; although the interpretive decisions on both sets are highly
similar, when they do vary, I tend to like her more recent decisions.
Scherbakov is coming in third with many fine performances, although he can
get surface-bound with low projection.  Ashkenazy is next with readings
that I often find insufficiently projected and overly smooth, at least
compared to Nikolayeva.  Jarrett remains on the low end, usually not
digging into the music's core and sounding rather generic.  He did reach
the core in the E minor prelude, so I'm assuming he can do it more often.
Why isn't he? I think he's being emotionally lazy.  Sorry to be kind of
hard on the man, but I think very highly of Jarrett recordings and find
this one a disappointment.

Don Satz
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