Konstantin Sjerbakov

The winner of the First International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1927 was none other than Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). For many years his work as a pianist ran parallel to his career as a composer, until severe arthritis forced him to dedicate himself entirely to composing. It is therefore somewhat surprising that the number of works Shostakovich wrote for his own instrument is rather limited. The Preludes and Fugues opus 87 were written between 10th October 1950 and 25th February 1951. One indirect cause for their creation was the festivities in Leipzig celebrating the bicentenary of Bach's death. As a member of the jury for the piano competition, Shostakovich was deeply impressed by the young pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva, who played the entire 'Well-Tempered Clavier' (both parts!) from memory and deservedly won first prize. When he returned to Moscow, Shostakovich got the idea of following Bach's example and so wrote a series of twenty-four preludes and fugues in each key; not in a chromatic order, however, but arranged according to the cycle of fifths. As a gesture of respect, the opus 87 begins with the same notes as the first book of Bach's magnum opus.