Pražské nahrávky 1951-1954. Russian Masters - 2CD

This two-CD set brings together piano recordings made in Prague between 1951 and 1954 by Tatiana Nikolayeva, featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 3, selected preludes and fugues from Shostakovich’s Op. 87, Nikolayeva’s Three Concert Etudes, and works by Johann Sebastian Bach, including the Fifth French Suite, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, and Fantasy in C minor. Nikolayeva performs with the Czech Philharmonic under conductor Konstantin Ivanov. It is impossible not to describe Tatiana Nikolayeva (1924–1993) as a child prodigy: she began studying piano at the age of three, composing at twelve, and entered the Moscow Conservatory at thirteen. Her meeting with Shostakovich in 1950 developed into a lifelong friendship; inspired by her Bach interpretations, he composed his 24 Preludes and Fugues, of which she became the first performer. In February 1951, Prague gave her the opportunity to record Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto and several Bach works with the Czech Philharmonic, followed by further recordings in 1954. These are among the earliest surviving documents of the legendary pianist’s extraordinary mastery.