Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich ： 24 Preludes and Fugues No.18 in f-moll Op.87-18

No. 18 unfolds with sustained tension as the prelude and fugue create a contrast with one another. In the prelude, listening closely to the repetition of concise material and the shifting harmonies reveals a sense of unrest emerging within the music. In the following fugue, the subject is passed from voice to voice, and the increasing overlap heightens the density and forward momentum of the texture. It is important to distinguish each voice clearly while shaping the whole as a single musical flow. The pedal should be used sparingly to avoid blurring the sonority, while changes in tension should be conveyed not only through dynamics but also through differences in note values and articulation.