Although the title Dmitri Shostakovich Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1, is emblazoned on the exterior of this disc by Russian pianist
Boris Petrushansky, the program's much more descriptive subtitle is revealed only in the interior: "The Great Miniatures." With 50 pieces lasting a minute or less on the program, these works are indeed brief in duration. However, as it might be argued that
Chopin's preludes or Schubert's Impromptus are hardly miniatures except in length, it might likewise be argued that from the slightest of the Aphorisms to the weightiest prelude,
Shostakovich's miniatures can have as much musical density and emotional gravity as his most monumental symphony. Thankfully, the exterior title is also accurately descriptive. As volume one of a complete
Shostakovich piano music cycle, listeners can look forward to further recordings of the composer's piano sonatas and the preludes and fugues because, as
Petrushansky establishes here beyond argument, he is a fabulous
Shostakovich player. In piece after piece, from the bludgeoning Age of Gold Polka to the enchanting Dolls Dances, from the barbed Aphorisms to the bittersweet Preludes,
Petrushansky has the lightness and irony as well as the deepness and tragedy, the powerful tone and steely touch, as well as the fantastic wit and tender intimacy of the great
Shostakovich players. Stradivarius' sound is very real, but a bit too hard.