Tatiana Marukhina

By 1981, when this production was taped for Canadian television, Joan Sutherland's voice was unquestionably past its prime. But even in its decline, that voice remained something quite special, and the role of the troubled Druid priestess Norma was one of her specialties. A substantial advantage in this recording is the presence at the podium of her husband and coach, Richard Bonynge, who had a deep understanding of the strengths and limitations of her voice and stage persona. His pacing and balance give the voice opportunities to challenge, at least momentarily, the ravages of time. Lotfi Mansouri, one of the great operatic entrepreneurs of the late 20th century, assembled a first-class supporting cast for Sutherland–most notably Tatiana Troyanos, to whose memory this video is dedicated.

Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues for Piano. Op.87 Nos.17-24 - Tatiana Nikolaeva (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00075 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | 8 Tracks | TT 61:04 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 186 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Instrumental / Piano

24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich. The cycle is an extremely profound work of great mastery. These are 24 masterpieces, each with a world of its own. They must and can be compared to Bach's cycle. It is a new world in polyphony. Tatiana Nikolaeva USSR People's Artist, graduated with honours from two departments of the Moscow Conservatoire: piano and composition. For over 30 years Tatiana Nikolaeva has been playing Shostakovich's cycle "24 Preludes and Fugues", especially actively during the last years. The full cycle "24 Preludes and Fugues" by D. Shostakovich performed by T. Nikolaeva is recorded on three CDs.

Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues for Piano. Op.87 Nos.11-16 - Tatiana Nikolaeva (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00074 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | 6 Tracks | TT 46:45 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 136 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Instrumental / Piano

24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich. The cycle is an extremely profound work of great mastery. These are 24 masterpieces, each with a world of its own. They must and can be compared to Bach's cycle. It is a new world in polyphony. Tatiana Nikolaeva USSR People's Artist, graduated with honours from two departments of the Moscow Conservatoire: piano and composition. For over 30 years Tatiana Nikolaeva has been playing Shostakovich's cycle "24 Preludes and Fugues", especially actively during the last years. The full cycle "24 Preludes and Fugues" by D. Shostakovich performed by T. Nikolaeva is recorded on three CDs.

After a highly successful series of concerts in Russia, Tatiana Nikolayeva won in 1950 1st prize at Leipzig's Bach festival for her performance of Bach's clavier works (1950)….

Tatiana Nikolayeva (Piano, Arranger)

There are a lot of Bach's works, performed by T.Nikolayeva in the Global Network, but the Partitas are absent

These preludes and fugures by Shostakovich are not the easiest in the world for interpretation. Think a Slavic Bach. It is unfair to call these works "modern" and it's not just because they are with the confines of a Medieval form. But sometimes the listener will catch something that is reminiscent of 20th centyury Soviet music. These works are miniatures - a form totally at odds with the usual way we consider the composer. Tatiana Nikolayeva is simply brilliant in her interpretation - the clarity is startling. It may take a while but this is a recording that appreciates the more it is heard.

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