Oleg Marshev’s light-n’-lively renditions of Shostakovich’s piano concertos are in keeping with their somewhat rebellious spirit. He and Hannu Lintu take the music’s inherent playfulness to heart as they press tempos ever forward in No. 1’s opening movement, with Jan Karlsson’s trumpet revelry sounding ever more comical as it reaches its climax. The same goes for No. 2’s finale, which here sounds like a raucous burlesque. Even so, Marshev maintains a musicianly poise throughout these performances as he combines immaculate clarity with an impressive dexterity that buoys the music’s more joyous passages. But he can just as well drop the clown face when things become more serious, as in his deeply felt renderings of both concertos’ slow movements (especially the melancholy No. 1). No matter the mood, Marshev is handsomely supported by the Helsingborg Symphony, which provides pointed and bracing accounts of the orchestral accompaniments.
Marshev brings similar skill and energy and even greater imagination to Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes, making each of these brilliant character pieces distinct and endlessly fascinating. Danacord’s warmly resonant recording positions the piano noticeably closer than you would hear in a concert hall, but the resulting clarity and impact sounds just fine in the listening room.
