"Dmitri Shostakovich, Pianist takes a look at Shostakovich as pianist. The biographical narrative is interwoven with analyses of Shostakovich's piano and chamber works, demonstrating how he interpreted his own music. For the first time, Shostakovich's recordings are used as primary sources to discover what made his playing unique and to dispel commonly held myths about his style of interpretation. His recorded performances are analysed in detail, specifically tempos, phrasing, dynamics, pedal, and tonal production. Some unpublished variants of musical texts are included and examples of his interpretations are provided and compared to various editions of his published scores."--BOOK JACKET.