Anti-Formalist Rayok (1948 - arr. by Andrei Pushkarev 2010)
Impromptu for Viola and Piano (1931)
Scherzo for Piano, Op. 1a (c. 1920)
3 Fugues for Piano (1934)
3 Fragments from the Opera "The Nose" (1928)
5 Pieces for Two Violins and Piano (1933-55 - arr. by Levon Atovmyan 1961)
In the Forest (1919)
Prelude & Fugue for Piano in C-Sharp Minor (1950 - Completion by Krzysztof Meyer 2019)
Murzilka (c. 1944)
Yelabuga Nail (c. 1971 - Completion by Alexander Raskatov 2024)

The pieces gathered together in this collection of curios and oddities fall mainly under two categories. Juvenile compositions that were never published or performed, or pieces that Shostakovich himself pulled from public performance for fear of reprimand by the Soviet authorities at the time of publication.

Shostakovich noobies need not apply, but there's quite a bit here of interest for seasoned Shostakovich enthusiasts. For example, the short piano piece titled In the Forest, composed during his early teens, starts off as if written by Glazunov or Tchaikovsky only to turn into a comical, circusy little waltz so typical of the sardonic Dmitri of later years. The Entracte In Front of Kazan Cathedral, an unpublished segment from Shostakovich's opera 'The Nose', opens with a great pipe organ solo, a rarity amongst the music of this composer. The 5 Pieces for Two Violins and Piano is a pastiche of some of his film (The Gadfly) and ballet works. The Prelude & Fugue for Piano in C-Sharp Minor was removed from his set of '24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87' and replaced with something more frenzied. Too bad because it's dark and harmonically probing Shostakovich at his best. And last but not least, Yelabuga Nail, discovered only a few months ago in 2024, is a setting of a poem devoted to the life and suicide of Marina Tsvetayeva, sung with utter conviction by bass Alexander Roslavets.

Other well-known musical figures that partake in this recording are pianists Daniil Trifonov and Yulianna Avdeeva, violinist Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica ensemble. From solo piano, to chamber and vocal music, there's something for everyone to discover here that would readily complement any complete (up until now that is) Shostakovich collection.