SHOSTAKOVICH: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 – Alexander Melnikov, piano – Harmonia mundi 902019 (2 CDs + Dual Disc CD/DVD, Interview with Alexander Melnikov), 2:31:15 ****:
Most everyone is aware of the origin of these pieces; Shostakovich went to Leipzig in 1950 to attend the Bach Bicentennial competition, and he heard Tatiana Nikolaevna play the Well-Tempered Clavier. With those sounds fresh in his mind, only three and one-half months later this amazing two and one-half hour opus appeared. Tatiana Nikolaevna played them for the rest of her life, and to many her recordings are still the touchstone for this music, even though she has been surpassed in terms of technical acumen.
I am not a fan of her recordings, though I do understand their importance. But I think that the years have added much to our understanding of this work, once considered rather dry and academic and of not much consequence in Shostakovich’s overall oeuvre. This has definitely changed, and this piece can rightly take its places as one of his greatest. There are about 14 complete recordings now available with all sorts of interpretative nuances, and this one under consideration is also a very fine one, 
though if I had to categorize it I would say that in many ways it fits the Tatiana Nikolaevna school of thought, albeit in much better sound and through an almost Scriabinesque lens.
There are parts of this work that, if taken at certain tempos with certain colors do indeed bring the ghost of Scriabin to the fore. Melnikov seems to relish some of these places, though at other times his Bachian flavors also surface. But generally it is what I would conclude a romantic interpretation, perfectly acceptable, and a little luxuriant in style. There are many ways to play this music—and it can surely take them all—so each must find his or her norm. If you are new to this music, this recording, along with the very interesting DVD (about 23 minutes long) will not steer you wrong, and might provide a little more illumination than just a recording alone. One of the things that I did not like about this production is the fact that the last prelude and fugue is accorded to the flip side of the DVD disc, making it irritating for those who do not have CD changers, but this is a trifle, though also indicative of the general slowness of some of the tempos that force it onto three discs.
My favorite is hardly in the mainstream, that of Keith Jarrett on an ECM disc, who plays the music with a decidedly non-Slavic take and generally more energetic and sprightly—and slightly drier also—than Melnikov. I also notice that Critic David Hurwitz finds the recent Hanssler Classics disc of Jenny Lin, which I have not heard except in snippets. What I did hear seems to put her more in the Jarrett camp as well. Whatever you choose, do choose! This music is fabulous and well worth getting to know, and well. Melnikov will not let you down if you decide on his particular road, great sounding with some very subtle pianism involved, and a credit to all concerned in the production.
— Steven Ritter
