Zaderatsky / Nemtsov 24 Preludes & Fugues CD

The twentieth century brought forth many examples of the suppression of works by certain composers and even of whole categories of music. Numerous composers' works, for example, were banned as "degenerate" by the Nazis. Even so, Vsevolod Zaderatsky's fate was exceptional. It remains unprecedented that a composer of Zaderatsky's rank should spend his whole life under such political suppression and that he had absolutely no opportunity to present his music to the public in any way at all. Not a single work of his was published during his lifetime and there were no performances worth mentioning. It is a marvel that he even survived Stalinism; many of his compositions did not survive, having either been deliberately destroyed or fallen victim to circumstances. Zaderatsky's life seems to have been a hopeless, unequal battle: a musician against all-powerful state machinery intent on destroying his works and even threatening his life. The background to the 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano marks a particularly dramatic chapter of his struggle during detention in the Gulag. Here, his 24 Preludes are presented in their entirety by pianist and musicologist Jascha Nemtsov.

1. Prelude No. 1 in C Major 2. Fugue No. 1 in C Major 3. Prelude No. 2 in a Minor 4. Fugue No. 2 in a Minor 5. Prelude No. 3 in G Major 6. Fugue No. 3 in G Major 7. Prelude No. 4 in E minor 8. Fugue No. 4 in E minor 9. Prelude No. 5 in D Major 10. Fugue No. 5 in D Major 11. Prelude No. 6 in B minor 12. Fugue No. 6 in B minor 13. Prelude No. 7 in a Major 14. Fugue No. 7 in a Major 15. Prelude No. 8 in F-Sharp minor 16. Fugue No. 8 in F-Sharp minor 17. Prelude No. 9 in E Major 18. Fugue No. 9 in E Major 19. Prelude No. 10 in C-Sharp minor 20. Fugue No. 10 in C-Sharp minor 21. Prelude No. 11 in B Major 22. Fugue No. 11 in B Major 23. Prelude No. 12 in G-Sharp minor 24. Fugue No. 12 in G-Sharp minor 25. Prelude No. 13 in G-Flat Major 26. Fugue No. 13 in G-Flat Major 27. Prelude No. 14 in E-Flat minor 28. Fugue No. 14 in E-Flat minor 29. Prelude No. 15 in D-Flat Major 30. Fugue No. 15 in D-Flat Major 31. Prelude No. 16 in B-Flat minor 32. Fugue No. 16 in B-Flat minor 33. Prelude No. 17 in A-Flat Major 34. Fugue No. 17 in A-Flat Major 35. Prelude No. 18 in F minor 36. Fugue No. 18 in F minor 37. Prelude No. 19 in E-Flat Major 38. Fugue No. 19 in E-Flat Major 39. Prelude No. 20 in C minor 40. Fugue No. 20 in C minor 41. Prelude No. 21 in B-Flat Major 42. Fugue No. 21 in B-Flat Major 43. Prelude No. 22 in G minor 44. Fugue No. 22 in G minor 45. Prelude No. 23 in F Major 46. Fugue No. 23 in F Major 47. Prelude No. 24 in D minor 48. Fugue No. 24 in D minor