In the early 1930s Shostakovich was beginning to feel restless about being pigeon-holed as a composer of theatre-music. He longed to write more serious instrumental music. At the same time, his style was beginning to simplify, to be less aggressively modernist and more neo-classical, tuneful and accessible.

In this spirit, he completed this entrancing cycle of 24 Preludes, following the tonal scheme of Chopin’s famous work, but in an altogether lighter vein, filled with wistful echoes of jazz and theatrical music, as well as light-hearted parodies of romantic piano-music.