Donald Satz wrote: >I find a great deal of mystery, bleakness, regret, etc. in these pieces. >Some others don't see it that way. Given my perspective, the Nikolayeva >on Hyperion is a great match for me. It's idiomatic, bleak as hell, and I >love it; the sound stage is just right also. Her Melodiya set is a little >better played (technically) but the Hyperion sound wins me over. I'm one who doesn't see it that way. I also prefer Nikolayeva to Ashkenazy or Jarrett, but I find the music more life-afirming than almost anything else in Shostakovich, though there is a grimness to some of the numbers, to be sure. "Richard Todd" <[log in to unmask]>