Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34; Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 Andrey Gugnin

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 12:
• 1 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 12 13:03
• 24 Preludes, Op. 34:
• 2 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 1 in C Major. Moderato 01:50
• 3 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 2 in A Minor. Allegretto 00:47
• 4 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 3 in G Major. Andante 02:07
• 5 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 4 in E Minor. Moderato 03:02
• 6 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 5 in D Major. Allegro vivace 00:25
• 7 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 6 in B Minor. Allegretto 01:17
• 8 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 7 in A Major. Andante 01:43
• 9 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor. Allegretto 01:00
• 10 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 9 in E Major. Presto 00:39
• 11 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor. Moderato non troppo 01:56
• 12 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 11 in B Major. Allegretto 00:48
• 13 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor. Allegro non troppo 01:13
• 14 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 13 in F-Sharp Major. Moderato 02:13
• 15 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 14 in E-Flat Minor. Adagio 02:34
• 16 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 15 in D-Flat Major. Allegretto 00:57
• 17 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 16 in B-Flat Minor. Andantino 01:09
• 18 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 17 in A-Flat Major. Largo 02:47
• 19 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 18 in F Minor. Allegretto 00:50
• 20 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 19 in E-Flat Major. Andantino 01:49
• 21 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 20 in C Minor. Allegretto furioso 00:39
• 22 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 21 in B-Flat Major. Allegretto poco moderato 00:38
• 23 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 22 in G Minor. Adagio 02:47
• 24 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 23 in F Major. Moderato 01:01
• 25 Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34: No. 24 in D Minor. Allegretto 01:30
• Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 61:
• 26 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 61: I. Allegretto 07:12
• 27 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 61: II. Largo 07:30
• 28 Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 61: III. Moderato con moto 13:43
• The Limpid Stream, Op. 39:
• 29 Shostakovich: The Limpid Stream, Op. 39: Nocturne (Arr. for Piano) 02:04
• Total Runtime 01:19:13

Info for Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34; Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

The young Russian pianist Andrey Gugnin (winner of the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition, among others) is one of the most remarkable new additions to HYPERION's portfolio of artists. For his debut on the label, he has chosen piano music by Shostakovich, which is still unjustly overshadowed by symphonic and chamber music. A truly excellent choice!

Hyperion is thrilled to welcome the artist Andrey Gugnin, winner of the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition. With a spectacular all-Shostakovich programme built around the two piano sonatas, this is simply electrifying pianism.

Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes were composed during the winter of 1932–33, mostly in Leningrad, although No 8 was written in Moscow. Each is dated, and they appear to have been composed in sequence from 30 December to 2 March, forming a cycle in each of the twelve major and minor keys of the chromatic scale. Although often performed separately or with selections made into a group in recital programmes, the manner of the set’s composition and the cycle of ascending fifths they encompass (the major key, followed by the relative minor: thus, the first is in C major, the second in A minor; the third is in G major, the fourth in E minor, and so on) indicate that they make their fullest impact when performed consecutively, as a set, although the composer himself only recorded selections from them.

As the set of Aphorisms may be thought of as contrasting with the composer’s immediately preceding works, so the 24 Preludes followed a series of incidental and film music, as well as Shostakovich’s largest work, the four-act opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Op 29 (1932). Since the sonata and the Aphorisms, Shostakovich had written much orchestral music (including two further symphonies and the ballet The Age of Gold—from the latter an extracted concert suite was proving a popular item) and had perforce been away from his own instrument with regard to original piano composition. ...

"Gugnin rivets us in orchestral-sounding climaxes…and the metaphysical twilight zones in between…Gugnin finds surprising poetry in the music...[The Limpid Stream] requires only poetic sensibility, but the rest of this programme shows a ferocious new talent who can also accomplish the introspection. Masterly." (BBC Music Magazine)

"Gugnin’s performance of the opus 34 Preludes is as witty, perceptive, dreamy, incisive, poetic, and electrifying as any on records. The ease with which he negotiates the most challenging of the preludes...is matched by a refined musicality that’s even more striking. [Sonata No. 2] If his sensitivity to the endlessly shifting moods of the piece makes it seem more coherent and satisfying than usual, then by the end it remains unclear whether the music itself or Gugnin’s performance is the more impressive." (Fanfare)

"Gugnin possesses an extraordinarily versatile and agile technique, which serves an often inspired musical imagination…The Preludes, Op 34, are the heart of the recording. These are the pieces in which Shostakovich’s pianistic imagination ranges most freely; their mercurial flights of fancy seem tailor-made to Gugnin’s gifts." (Gramophone Magazine)

Andrey Gugnin, piano

Andrey Gugnin
Moscow-born concert pianist Andrey Gugnin is rapidly gaining international acclaim as a passionately virtuosic performer, who possesses an ‘extraordinarily versatile and agile technique, which serves an often inspired musical imagination’ (Gramophone). In 2020, the BBC Music Magazine Awards named Andrey the winner of the Instrumental category for his recording of Shostakovich preludes and piano sonatas on Hyperion Records. Since winning the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition in 2016, Andrey has gone from strength to strength in concerts and recordings which exhibit his impassioned interpretations.

In demand as a concert soloist, Andrey has been invited to perform as a guest artist with notable orchestras across the globe, such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Andrey has performed on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Carnegie Hall in New York, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Sydney Opera House, the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Mariinsky Concert Hall, the Louvre in Paris, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and Hamarikyu Asahi Hall. Andrey has also appeared at a number of international festivals, including the Verbier, Ruhr Piano, Mariinsky International, Dubrovnik Summer, Ohrid Summer and International Chopin festivals.

As a recording artist, Andrey has published a broad scope of repertoire, ranging from works for solo piano to concertos. His release of Liszt’s Transcendental Studies (Piano Classics, 2018) was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. His recording of Shostakovich concertos (Delos International, 2007) was featured in the soundtrack of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Bridge of Spies.

Andrey took his first lessons with Natalia Smirnova, who laid the foundations for his studies with Olga Mechetina, Valery Kastelsky, Lev Naumov, Stanislav Ioudenitch, William Naboré and Vera Gornostayeva.

Booklet for Shostakovich: 24 Preludes, Op. 34; Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2