When Dmitri Shostakovich died in 1975, the world lost the last of the great classicists, a prolific composer whose output embraced traditional forms from symphony to string quartet. Among a plethora of new releases acknowledging the 50th anniversary of his death, these outstanding accounts of his Piano Quintet and his two Piano Trios are a perfect example of his ability to combine accessible melody with craft and emotional depth. The five-movement Piano Quintet was composed for the Beethoven Quartet who gave the premieres of all but the first and last of Shostakovich’s string quartets. It’s an amiable, rigorously conceived work, and the composer, who played the piano part at the premiere, joked afterwards that it had been written so that the ensemble would have to take him along on all their tours to exotic locales.  The Swiss-domiciled Oliver Schnyder Trio (Andreas Janke, violin, Benjamin Nyffenegger, cello and Oliver Schnyder, piano) are the common denominator on this album. Here they are joined by violinist Julia Fischer and violist Nils Mönkemeyer. Schnyder himself sets the tone, opening the Bachian prelude in a stately yet flexible manner. The… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log … Continue reading Shostakovich: Piano Quintet, Piano Trios (Julia Fischer, Nils Mönkemeyer, Oliver Schnyder Trio)