Mitch Friedfeld responds to Steve Schwartz:

>>...the better-known Preludes and Fugues, Op. 84.
>
>Speaking of which, any recommendations on these?  Anyone?

It's Opus 87, and I feel that Tatiana Nikolayeva has the inside track.
I have her 1990 Hyperion set and the 1987 Melodiya that is now available
on the Regis label.  I believe there is also an earlier version from
her, but I'm not familiar with it.  Other sets from Ashkenazy, Jarrett,
and Scherbakov have much to offer, but they only hit the heart of the
music from time to time.  Nikolayeva championed the work, was the first
to perform it in public, and even rehearsed it with Shostakovich.  This
intimacy shows in her recordings.

Don Satz
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