When Shostakovich first performed his Preludes and Fugues for piano, his younger colleague Rodion Shchedrin got the idea to compose his own set. Whereas Shostakovich's have gained in esteem and popularity over the past three decades, Shchedrin's are far less known in the West, and undeservedly so. Both composers write for the keyboard with idiomatic ease and textural economy, share a common humorous streak, and never repeat themselves over the course of these works. Shchedrin is extroverted and optimistic when Shostakovich is inward and sardonic, but the opposite sometimes holds true. In any case, pianist Joachim Kwetzinsky has interweaved excerpts from both cycles into a brilliantly curated program. More importantly, he plays like a young god.

Notice the rock-steady yet flexible control with which he articulates the Shchedrin E-flat minor fugue's complex rhythmic strands, or the bouquet of tone colors arising from the Shostakovich A major fugue's arpeggiated textures. The ricocheting octaves and rapid chords in Shchedrin's Basso Ostinato positively sting, while, by contrast, the Shostakovich D major prelude's right-hand rolled chords and left-hand countermelody effortlessly converse in perfect rhythm, totally oblivious to the music's bar lines. The exceptionally clean and clear multi-channel engineering is all one could wish for. One of 2010's most stimulating piano releases--don't miss it! [7/27/2010]

--Jed Distler