Tatiana Nikolaeva plays Bach Preludium & Fugue C-sharp minor

J.S. Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1, Prelude and Fugue No. 4, C-sharp minor, BWV 849
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The distinguished Soviet pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva is a name familiar to many as one of the greatest forces behind the wealth of piano talent to flood from the former Soviet Union during the twentieth century.

She was born on 4 May 1924 and began playing the piano at the age of three, subsequently entering the Moscow Conservatoire to study with Alexander Goldenweiser and Yevgeny Golubev. She retained her close connection with the Moscow Conservatoire all her life. Indeed, her name was inscribed twice on the marble Roll of Honour there, first as a pianist, then as a composer.

After winning the 1950 Bach Leipzig Piano Competition, Nikolayeva built up a phenomenal volume of repertoire, ranging from Bach to Bartók and beyond. Her interpretation of Bach on record won great critical acclaim. Whilst others used so-called 'original' instruments, Nikolayeva preferred to play Bach on a modern Steinway - always with great success.

Her long working association with Shostakovich, and her great understanding of all aspects of his music, made her one of the leading sources of contemporary knowledge about that great composer. It was Nikolayeva for whom Shostakovich wrote his 24 Preludes and Fugues, inspired by hearing her Bach-playing at the 1950 Bach bicentenary Competition in Leipzig (he was on the jury), and it was she who premiered them in Leningrad in 1952.

On November 13, 1993, while playing the same work in concert in San Francisco, Nikolayeva was stricken by a cerebral haemorrhage and was unable to complete the performance. She died nine days later, on November 22.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• tatiana
• nikolaeva
• bach
• prelude
• fugue
• Well-Tempered
• Clavier
• piano
• classical

[dlandersiv]

Wikipedia discounts the claim that Nikolayeva died during the San Francisco concert - could you check your source?

[truecrypt]

Wikipedia is correct - Nikolaeva died 9 days later on 22nd. I copied an article from Russian on-line source and they were mistaken.

[suzettegm]

Thanks for spoiling us again.

[truecrypt]

You are very welcome... it's just a beginning!;)

[MikeInBeantown]

her interpretation of the Goldberg Variations is, to me, the finest of all, including many that are far more celebrated. when i hear her, it always strikes me that she knows exactly where she is, and exactly where she's going.

[cuallito]

Russian babushkas know how to do it just right.

[practicecrazypianist]

Why doesn't she include any ornamentation? Still lovely playing, and inspirational for me as I learn this piece!

[masterkuprij]

<3

[gatomjp]

This is amazing! What power and emotion!

[dermusikverfallen]

@broadwood1830 Doch! Stellen Sie sich alles viel leiser gespielt vor und bewundern dann die Konsequenz der Linienführung. Ich gebe gerne zu, dass dies durch die enorme Lautstärke und die starken Geräusche und durch den Pathos schwierig ist zu hören, aber es ist ALLES da. NAtürlich ist Klavierspsielen auf einem Broadwood von 1830 eine ganz andere feine Sache und ein feinsinnigerer Klang,klar... Aber Sie ist ehrlich und authentisch.

[Trompetabc]

@vanya2309 Probably because this performance were made long before performance practice became a subject. Bach wrote the piece without ornamentation, and until resently (perhaps the last 30-40 years), we didn't quite understand that he meant us to play it more freely than what he had written.

[slizzler1]

superb

[amadeuswebern]

She is awesome. I can think of no other who plays Bach like she does. I can't stop listening to her music.

[joaodsyt]

Perfect! She was (and remains) one of the best in Bach...

[broadwood1830]

so ein eindimensionales gehacke braucht man nicht aufheben