Symphony No.17 in G sharp minor - Nikolai Myaskovsky
11.2 هزار بار بازدید -
7 سال پیش
-
State Academic Symphonic Orchestra of
State Academic Symphonic Orchestra of Russia conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov.
I - Lento - Allegro molto agitato - Più sostenuto - Allegro molto agitato - Più sostenuto - Molto appassionato, ma sostenuto - Allegro molto agitato - Più sostenuto - Allegro molto agitato - Poco più pesante e sostenuto - Tempo iniziale - Pesante: 0:00
II - Lento assai - Andantino (ma non troppo) - Poco più animando - Tempo del Andantino - Poco più animando - Tempo I - Andantino - Più animando: 15:47
III - Scherzo. Allegro, poco vivace: 32:40
IV - Andante - Allegro molto animato - Più sostenuto e pesante molto - Tempo I - Pochissimo meno vivo - Molto largamente e pesante - Tempo I - Molto più vivo - Poco meno mosso, pesante: 37:53
Myaskovsky's Symphony No.17 was composed between 1936-7, along with his No.18. It was premiered on December 1937, conducted by Alexander Gauk, to whom Myaskovsky dedicated the work. In 1936, one of the most terrible periods of the Soviet regime began called the "Great Purge". When the five-year plans were not fully met, thousands of people disappeared without a trace, and anyone who was interested in them could be found in the next list. The sinister gulag, the administration of prisons rhetorically called re-education camps for work, took millions of prisoners in Stalin's regime. Something only comparable to the Nazi terror.
In the musical field, in January 1936 appeared the famous article directed against the opera of Shostakovich, "Lady Macbeth of the district of Mtsensk", described as a decadent bourgeois opera. This affected all the composers, who clearly saw that if they wanted to continue with their work, they had to align themselves on the Soviet principles, producing a popular art that would extol the patriotic values. The works had to be easily understood by the Soviet people in their great march towards their fabulous future.
During these murky times of the Stalinist regime, Myaskovsky wrote a symphony in which he tries to maintain an expressive pathos, and at the same time, not to stray too far from the style of Socialist Realism, without having to renounce his own style. The composer never revealed what he really wanted to express when writing this work, mainly because of the fear he felt for a dictatorial and repressive state, which he also tries to reflect in it. Alexandrei Ikkonikov, contemporary of the composer, writes the following words commenting on the work. "We find in it an overflow of human emotions, the symphony is a pure song from the beginning to the end."
The first movement is structured in sonata form. It opens with a fateful introduction. A strong and determined main theme is presented by the strings, contrasted by a lyrical second theme presented by the woodwinds. The music rises in an expressive climax, followed by a meditative transition. A turbulent development then takes place, culminating with an extensive and dramatic climax before it continues. After a short pause, the recapitulation of the main themes begin. After a bitter final climax, a deeply tragic coda ends the movement.
The second movement is written in form of an arch. It begins with a peaceful and lyrical main theme presented by the clarinets. It grows more expressive and emotional, but ends up becoming sombre and falls to the depths. However, it slowly rises again, reaching a massive and imposing climax, followed by a long and calm diminuendo. The lyrical main theme is then recapitulated in its original form, as if to express the feeling of those past times, which were happier and will not return. Suddenly, the music seems to heroically rise from the depths again, before it leads us to a sad and melancholic coda.
The third movement is a scherzo in ternary form. It opens with a restless rhythmic theme, presented by the woodwinds. Some melodic motives attempt to calm the ambience, but the restless main theme sweeps with them. The trio begins with a contrasting lyrical theme, presented in form of a slow dance of Russian flavour. The scherzo is then resumed, leading us to a modest coda.
The fourth movement is structured as a rondo (A-B-C-A'-B'-A''-Coda). It begins with the same fateful introduction from the first movement, this time as the main theme, which in turn lyrically unfolds. A placid and joyful second theme is presented between woodwinds and strings. A more dramatic and third theme of strong Russian roots is also presented, culminating with a short but dissonant climax. The second theme is then recapitulated, followed by the third, which reaches several forceful climaxes. The main theme brings peace once again, before a heavily contrapuntal and forceful coda ends the whole work.
Picture: "In Russia. Soul of the people" (1916) by the Russian painter Mikhail Nesterov.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Source: https://bit.ly/3S4vdRW
To check the score: https://bit.ly/3L6gEKo
I - Lento - Allegro molto agitato - Più sostenuto - Allegro molto agitato - Più sostenuto - Molto appassionato, ma sostenuto - Allegro molto agitato - Più sostenuto - Allegro molto agitato - Poco più pesante e sostenuto - Tempo iniziale - Pesante: 0:00
II - Lento assai - Andantino (ma non troppo) - Poco più animando - Tempo del Andantino - Poco più animando - Tempo I - Andantino - Più animando: 15:47
III - Scherzo. Allegro, poco vivace: 32:40
IV - Andante - Allegro molto animato - Più sostenuto e pesante molto - Tempo I - Pochissimo meno vivo - Molto largamente e pesante - Tempo I - Molto più vivo - Poco meno mosso, pesante: 37:53
Myaskovsky's Symphony No.17 was composed between 1936-7, along with his No.18. It was premiered on December 1937, conducted by Alexander Gauk, to whom Myaskovsky dedicated the work. In 1936, one of the most terrible periods of the Soviet regime began called the "Great Purge". When the five-year plans were not fully met, thousands of people disappeared without a trace, and anyone who was interested in them could be found in the next list. The sinister gulag, the administration of prisons rhetorically called re-education camps for work, took millions of prisoners in Stalin's regime. Something only comparable to the Nazi terror.
In the musical field, in January 1936 appeared the famous article directed against the opera of Shostakovich, "Lady Macbeth of the district of Mtsensk", described as a decadent bourgeois opera. This affected all the composers, who clearly saw that if they wanted to continue with their work, they had to align themselves on the Soviet principles, producing a popular art that would extol the patriotic values. The works had to be easily understood by the Soviet people in their great march towards their fabulous future.
During these murky times of the Stalinist regime, Myaskovsky wrote a symphony in which he tries to maintain an expressive pathos, and at the same time, not to stray too far from the style of Socialist Realism, without having to renounce his own style. The composer never revealed what he really wanted to express when writing this work, mainly because of the fear he felt for a dictatorial and repressive state, which he also tries to reflect in it. Alexandrei Ikkonikov, contemporary of the composer, writes the following words commenting on the work. "We find in it an overflow of human emotions, the symphony is a pure song from the beginning to the end."
The first movement is structured in sonata form. It opens with a fateful introduction. A strong and determined main theme is presented by the strings, contrasted by a lyrical second theme presented by the woodwinds. The music rises in an expressive climax, followed by a meditative transition. A turbulent development then takes place, culminating with an extensive and dramatic climax before it continues. After a short pause, the recapitulation of the main themes begin. After a bitter final climax, a deeply tragic coda ends the movement.
The second movement is written in form of an arch. It begins with a peaceful and lyrical main theme presented by the clarinets. It grows more expressive and emotional, but ends up becoming sombre and falls to the depths. However, it slowly rises again, reaching a massive and imposing climax, followed by a long and calm diminuendo. The lyrical main theme is then recapitulated in its original form, as if to express the feeling of those past times, which were happier and will not return. Suddenly, the music seems to heroically rise from the depths again, before it leads us to a sad and melancholic coda.
The third movement is a scherzo in ternary form. It opens with a restless rhythmic theme, presented by the woodwinds. Some melodic motives attempt to calm the ambience, but the restless main theme sweeps with them. The trio begins with a contrasting lyrical theme, presented in form of a slow dance of Russian flavour. The scherzo is then resumed, leading us to a modest coda.
The fourth movement is structured as a rondo (A-B-C-A'-B'-A''-Coda). It begins with the same fateful introduction from the first movement, this time as the main theme, which in turn lyrically unfolds. A placid and joyful second theme is presented between woodwinds and strings. A more dramatic and third theme of strong Russian roots is also presented, culminating with a short but dissonant climax. The second theme is then recapitulated, followed by the third, which reaches several forceful climaxes. The main theme brings peace once again, before a heavily contrapuntal and forceful coda ends the whole work.
Picture: "In Russia. Soul of the people" (1916) by the Russian painter Mikhail Nesterov.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Source: https://bit.ly/3S4vdRW
To check the score: https://bit.ly/3L6gEKo
7 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1396/12/27 منتشر شده
است.
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