Tatiana Nikolayeva: Shostakovich

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Movie Reviews of Tatiana Nikolayeva: Shostakovich

Movie Review: Beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars

Summary of Tatiana Nikolayeva: Shostakovich

It would be futile to single out any of these 24 pieces as better than any of the others. They straddle so wide an emotional and pianistic canvas that one can only revel in each piece and listen again and again to discover the linking threads that Shostakovich used to create a work of such all-encompassing depth and drama. Nikolayeva so identifies with this music that one feels her way is the way it must go, that she penetrates Shostakovich's intentions and meaning. So she's as convincing in the innocence of the D-Flat Prelude as she is stunning in that work's whirlwind Fugue; as gracefully elegant in the B-flat minor's prelude as she is powerful in the granite-like opening of the E-Flat major Prelude. And some of the fugues are played with such intimacy and spontaneity that one might think she was improvising on the spot. A card announcing which work is to be played precedes each of the 24 pieces. The BBC studio set is odd but for the most part unobjectionable. Camera movements are generally unobtrusive, a good thing since watching Nikolayeva's facial expressions (terrific intensity) and hands on the keyboard add a special dimension. Great music in a definitive performance--can one ask for more? --Dan Davis

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