Anatoly Alexandrov (1888 - 1982), Piano Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 12: Allegro agitato (1918)
Performed by Kyung-Ah Noh
Alexandrov’s prolific output contains two symphonies, a piano concerto, five operas (one of them for children), four string quartets and a considerable number of songs. He also edited the music of other composers, including Tchaikovsky’s string quartets for the complete edition of his works. But it is his piano music, and in particular the fourteen piano sonatas composed between 1914 and 1971, that most comprehensively map his evolution as a creative artist. Together with his songs, the sonatas form the core of his output. The first three are all compact, single-movement structures, influenced by Lisztian models and, more immediately, by Skryabin. The composer himself indicated that up to the Eighth Sonata (1939-44), the odd numbers reflect ‘modernism’ and the even ones ‘Medtner’, though having experienced the music itself, listeners may not agree with this sweeping assessment.
The Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 12, dates from 1918 and is marked Allegro agitato 3. As it is dedicated to Medtner, the single-movement form might be regarded as a tribute to the older composer’s own one-movement sonatas. Though not overtly programmatic, its deeply expressive nature, sense of conflict and ultimate triumph could be regarded as Alexandrov’s personal response to societal changes at the start of the Soviet era.
The Second Sonata is an advance over its predecessor both in technical virtuosity and clarity of purpose. It has more sharply defined themes and develops protean material with wider-reaching powers of invention. Its taut construction evolves organically, taking most of its material from the opening theme, an ardent and impetuous idea given rhythmic bite by its accompanying syncopated chords. This expressive potential of the principal subject is exploited thoroughly before the song-like secondary theme appears, in F major. Stark juxtapositions of contrasting material characterise the strikingly volatile development section, which ranges in spirit from baleful to tranquil and includes a vigorous march-like section underpinned by a crabbed ostinato in octaves. The cathartic, dance-like coda brings the piece to a celebratory close with both chief subjects transformed into D major.
5 май 2016
