On Bach to Shostakovich

On Bach and Shostakovich

About 15 years ago I discovered Shostakovich’s preludes and fugues for piano.  The story goes that he was a judge at a Bach piano competition and heard Tatanya Nickolyova playing the Bach preludes and fugues.  He was so taken by her playing of Bach’s masterpieces that he set about writing a set of 24 preludes and fugues of his own for her to play.  There is a recording of her playing these pieces which is amazing to hear, but there is also a recording of Keith Jarrett, better known for his jazz improvisations, playing these pieces that is quite mind-blowing.

It was Keith Jarrett’s playing that made me determined to learn some of the harder preludes and fugues, and I jumped in with both feet, attempting to learn the trickiest ones I could find.  I failed.  I realised my technique was simply not up to the delicate finger work required by the writing, and I wondered why that was.  I soon realised that years of playing Chopin and Rachmaninoff had rendered my left hand incapable of playing anything delicate and accurate.  A comment made by my violin teacher at University came to my mind, “You should learn some Bach”.

It seemed fitting really to start with Bach, as he had been the inspiration for Shostakovich.  I duly purchased the Bach Well Tempered Clavier which is his set of Preludes and Fugues.  I dived in and learned a few of the easier pieces without too much difficulty.  Then I tried some of the more complex fugues.  I was lost.  I decided to learn the preludes and fugues from Book 2 in order so as not to avoid anything I felt I found too hard.

15 years later and I am on number  17 of 24.  Admittedly there have been large gaps due to children, laziness, life in general, but I am far from disheartened.  In fact the only concern I have is whether I have enough life to complete this task and move on! At the present rate it will be another 7 years to the end of Book 2, but what about Book 1?

I feel as though I am still heading back towards Shostakovich, but I had no idea of the wonder, beauty and intelligence of Bach.  I am totally involved in his music, his treatment of line and form, his experimentation and his lyricism.  Bach for me is to played in the morning, as a meditation, a tonic, an escape from an unstructured world into one who’s structure is the world.

I thought I was going to move on from Bach, through Scarlatti, Mozart, Schubert and eventually back to Shostakovich.  Instead I am happily ensconced.  I have no need to move on for I feel I am learning all  need to know here.  I have barely played the Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues since, except for sometimes while teaching.  They wait for me, waiting until I am mature enough, accomplished enough, knowledgeable enough to play them.