P e t u k h o v
...When I listened I was shocked
The first time I met this titan (Shostakovich) was in October 1974 as a student, when Richter played four of the Preludes and Fugues in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory terrifically. At that time I was already a fanatic admirer of Shostakovich's music. I knew a lot of his music: symphonies, quartets, piano music - and, incidentally, I was very inspired by Richter's recording of the G sharp minor Prelude and Fugue. When I listened I was shocked. The language of the music touched me. It was very close to my own feelings.
From an interview in IPQ 2004