Dilettante Music

Traditionally, D major is a bright, joyous key -- one thinks of Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto or Mozart's "Prague" Symphony -- and so it is in Shostakovich's D major Prelude and Fugue from his 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 (1950 - 1951). The prelude's pastoral-like arpeggiated chords over a tranquil melody in the bass are followed by the fugue's lightly dancing subject, with its staccato repeated notes and its major-key modulations. Although not without its complexities -- the harmonic structure may be major-flavored, but it does range far and come back to the tonic in interesting ways -- the D major Prelude and Fugue is one of the most joyous pieces Shostakovich ever wrote. ~ All Music Guide