Piano Sonatas
Sonata no.2 in F sharp minor op.13 [12:37]
Sonata no.3 in C minor op.19 [12:10]
Sonata no.4 in C minor op.27 [22:29]
Lydia Jardon (piano)
rec. L’Heure Bleue, Salle de Musique, La Chaux-de-Fond, Switzerland, 25-27 January, 7 April 2009
AR RE-SE 2009-2 [47:16]
A philosopher, possibly Confucius, once said that a suitable curse on someone
would be that “they live in interesting times”. It is possible
to say we all do always. Depending on precisely when and precisely where
some could be cursed with living in truly ‘interesting’
times.
Nikolai Miaskovsky certainly did for he, along with millions in Russia,
saw some of that country’s most turbulent era. He was born in Ukraine,
part of the Russian Empire at the time and later a Soviet Republic, in 1881.
That was the same year that Tsar Alexander II was killed by a bomb in an
attack by members of Narodnaya Volya (The Peoples’ Will). It was the
fifth attempt to assassinate him, the third by the group. Two more Tsars
would come and go before the revolution swept away the House of Romanov
forever together with the world as Miaskovsky and his fellow Russians knew
it.
His father, a General in the Tsar’s army and an engineer was murdered
by Red Guards while waiting for a train during the period of the civil war
(1919-21). Miaskovsky too trained as an engineer officer but eventually
pursued his preferred career as composer studying under Lyadov and Rimsky-Korsakov.
That was at the St Petersburg Conservatory where he became lifelong friends
with Prokofiev and from which he graduated in 1911. At his death in 1950
from cancer he had composed around 90 works and is considered ‘father
of the Soviet Symphony’ writing no fewer than 27.
While he was not known as a great experimenter he was an early champion
of the music of Stravinsky and his music does show flashes of innovation
with these three piano sonatas exhibiting several examples. The Sonata no.2
is quite a ‘modern’-sounding work considering it was written
before the First World War. It is dominated by the Dies Irae theme
which is introduced around four minutes in. It quotes the piece as paraphrased
by Liszt in the work for piano and orchestra Totentanz. That work
was modelled on its origin in Gregorian plainchant but drew its inspiration
from its appearance in the last movement of Berlioz’s Symphonie
Fantastique which had so impressed Liszt when he heard its premiere
in 1830. Miaskovsky’s sonata is quite monumental in scope despite
its relatively short length with powerful chords throughout that pound out
that frightening theme in a menacing fashion. The third is a little more
restrained, very beautiful and with an overall sad and anxiously reflective
nature to it which is never resolved.
The fourth, by far the longest of the three, is cast in three movements
with the first lasting almost as long as each of the previous sonatas. It
once again involves crashing chords as well as some quiet passages with
the second movement bringing some well deserved relief in the form of a
gentle and very lovely interlude. The final movement is in a somewhat lighter
and more upbeat mood than the first.
Miaskovsky’s father told him that to be truly liberated one had to
battle and conquer oneself and musicologists have written that these three
sonatas are representative of this struggle rather than any comment on the
times he lived in or, later, the system he lived under. He was always somewhat
detached from politics or religion and though he didn’t write works
that were considered ‘controversial’ in the context of the Soviet
reality he was nevertheless caught up in the accusations of ‘formalism’
levelled at him, his friend Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Despite this he
still braved criticism by championing ‘modern’ works by being
a leader in the Association for Contemporary Music along with the composers
Alexander Mosolov, Gavriil Popov and Nikolai Roslavets all three of
whom got into hot water with the authorities.
Miaskovsky’s piano works are generally less well known than some of
his symphonies though that is hard to understand when you’ve heard
these since there is much to admire and plenty of difficulties to challenge
any pianist. Lydia Jardon rises to those challenges with an obvious reverence
for the music which translates into beautifully sensitive and thoughtful
playing making this a disc that will be of interest to all lovers of the
Russian School of piano writing. Hitherto there have been few recordings
available of his piano sonatas, notably by Endre Hegedüs on Marco Polo
and Murray McLachlan on Olympia so this is a welcome addition to these.
It is to be hoped that it will also help to change attitudes towards Miaskovsky’s
compositions which are generally represented in most people’s minds
by a few of his symphonies. This disc shows that there is clearly a lot
more to Miaskovsky than many people think.
Steve Arloff
There is clearly a lot more to Miaskovsky than many people think.
Miaskovsky review index
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