This post covers the preludes/fugues in G and G minor:

Prelude in G - The prevailing mood of this prelude is a sense of galloping
speed as the first manned flight to Mars lifts off.  The ship and its crew
are flying upwards through the Earth's atmosphere, and the feeling of
turbulance at unbelievable speed is pulsating through the crew members'
bodies.  Suddenly, they feel as if they are tumbling downward, but its only
the sensation of the Earth's atmosphere letting go.  Another winner for
Schepkin, as he conveys a great sense of speed, wonder, and release from
the atmosphere.  *4*

Fugue in G - Beyond the confines of the Earth's grasp, the ship floats
quickly through space in an effortless manner.  The crew is relieved and
feeling very calm.  They go about their appointed functions.  Time has
passed and the ship is beginning to get sucked into Mar's atmosphere.
Excitement is bountiful as the journey continues.  Again, Schepkin is
spot-on.  *4*

Prelude in G minor - The German troops are retreating from the Russian
front.  Not many weeks ago, they thought that victory was theirs.  Now,
any thoughts of victory have been replaced by the survival instinct.  The
retreat is a slow one as they trudge through the deep snow with the wind
whipping into their bodies.  There is a strong element of sadness which
Schepkin captures perfectly.  *4*

Fugue in G minor - A large, confused, and grieved crowd has collected
at the railway station to meet the first trainloads of soldiers, dead
and alive, from the Russian front.  No one knows if loved ones are alive,
injured, dead, or even on the trains at all.  The giddly optimism of a
few years ago at the certainty of defeating all enemies and taking their
rightful place as the head of all nations is a dead thought now.  Where did
it all go wrong? What terrors are ahead of them? The trains, sounding so
powerful and final, arrive at the station.  Another *4*.

Don Satz
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