Alan Chatterton:

>I wonder if anyone can help me with a recording date for the Shostakovich
>Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op 147, Fedor Druzhinin (viola) and Mikhail
>>Muntian (piano)?  The LP number is Melodyia C10 06638.

Some Melodiya LPs had short playing times - I have at least one that
clocks in at under 30 minutes - so I'm not sure whether Alan's LP contains
only the viola sonata.  I have the same artists in the viola sonata on
what was originally an HMV-Melodiya LP which also contained the violin
sonata (Oistrakh and Richter, recorded 1969) and was released in Australia
through a record club on its own label.  The publication date on the
label is 1976, which I assume to be that of the original LP as I bought
the LP in 1978 when it would have been a new release for the record club.
As Shostakovich wrote the viola sonata in 1975, this puts the recording
date of the viola sonata at either 1975 or 1976.  The LP's notes do say
that Druzhinin and Muntian gave its first performance, but not whether
this is the one on the LP.  All of this assumes that the LP versions
Alan and I have are of the same performance!

Richard Pennycuick