Once upon a time Dmitry Kabalevsky enjoyed a place on the fourth pedestal of Soviet composers alongside Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Khachaturian. Nowadays this position seems less secure but there’s still a place of honour for his contribution towards music education, rather more so than for the artistic value of his compositional output. This is the case, for instance, of the Six Preludes and Fugues, Op 61, which were designed to introduce young pianists to the world of polyphony. They range from Shostakovich-imitation to artless pioneer (Soviet youth) music in the spirit of a May Day children’s parade. The title of the fourth one, ‘At the Young Pioneer Summer Camp’, leaves little to imagination. Michael Korstick’s performance matches the music in its directness. But why such muscular aggression? Are these children on steroids?

Musically the 24 Preludes, Op 38, are, at their best, Mussorgsky-lite meets Prokofiev-lite. Based on Russian folk melodies, in the hands of the right pianist these could be pleasant enough miniatures. But Korstick is certainly not the right person for the job. His merciless bashing in the more dramatic numbers and his apparent lack of affection for any of the lyrical ones make the disc a tough listen. If you want to give Kabalevsky a chance, go directly to Horowitz’s live recording of a selection of the preludes (RCA) and hear how he turns each one into a short fairy tale. For collectors who value having the repertoire on their shelves, the same programme as Korstick’s, bar three amateurish Op 1 Preludes, is available on Naxos. There Alexandre Dossin’s playing is somewhat pale and lacking in character and technical ease, but at least it doesn’t make you run for cover.