Musik zur Zeit

von LePenseur

 

 

Inter arma silent nicht nur leges, sondern auch musæ ... trotzdem: im Angesicht eines heraufziehenden Dritten Weltkriegs hilft uns vielleich die Musik, die sprachlose und damit übersprachliche Musik, die unmittelbar ind Herz des Hörers treffen kann, einen Kontrapunkt zu all dem Propagandamüll, der uns Tag für Tag aus den Systemmedien entgegenquillt, erfahr- und erlebbar zu machen. Und hier eignet sich die tragische Symphonie No. 4 in e-mol, op. 17 des damals noch in seinen »Anfängen« (wenngleich reifen und genialen!) stehenden russischen Symphonikers Nikolai Mjaskowski ganz besonders:

Wie bereits üblich, erklingt das Werk durch das Akademische Staatliche Symphonieorchester Rußlands unter Eugen Swetlanow (und für Musikkenner mit eingeblendeter Partitur).

1. Satz: 00:00 - Andante, mesto e con sentimento

2. Satz: 19:05 - Largo, freddo e senza espressione

3. Satz: 29:54 - Allegro energico e marcato

Auf Youtube findet sich (allerdings auf Englisch) eine eingehende Analyse des Werks, deren Lektüre sich lohnt:

Myaskovsky's Symphony No.4 was composed between December 20 of 1917 and April 5 of 1918, along with the very different Symphony No.5. However, the fourth was premiered much later in Moscow along with No.7, in February 8 of 1925 conducted by Konstantin Saradzhev. It is dedicated to Vasily Yakovlev (not to be confounded with the revolutionary of the same name), who Myaskovsky had known during his military practices and who had also wanted to dedicate himself to music, specializing in musicology. 

 

Myaskovsky, who came from a military family, graduated in 1902 as a young subaltern with a Sappers Battalion in Moscow before he decided to pursue a career in music. When the war began in July of 1914, Myaskovsky was recruited in the Russian army and fought in the Austrian front, he was wounded and suffered shell-shock. In 1916 he was traslated to Reval (Tallinn nowadays), to work on the naval fortifications of the city. In December of 1917 he returned to Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) and started working on the piece. 

 

 The Symphony is the third in a trilogy deeply affected by a pessimistic vein: The Russian empire was in a state of great agitation and instability since 1905, as the country painfully struggled to modernize while attempting to maintain what essentially was an absolutist state. This was all amplified during the war. Myaskovsky, who was an introspective person, went through a depressive phase. Despite all of this, the work is firmly anchored on the Russian tradition of Tchaikovsky. It is also influenced by the music of Scriabin, to whom Myaskovsky greatly admired. 

 

 The first movement is structured in a large-scale sonata form. It begins with an extensive introduction. A flute presents an a second ascending interval of two notes as a main motive, which is fleshed out as it passes to several other wood instruments and strings, becoming more distressed and despaired. After a dissonant climax, the main allegro begins with a more impetous and energic main theme, presented by the strings and derived from the motive. A bitterly lyrical second theme offers some contrast, becoming more solemn and dignified. The development is turbulent, dissonant and restless, contrasted by more traditional romantic touches. Follows the recapitulation of the main themes. A dark coda ends firmly the movement. 

 

The second movement is structured in binary form. An ominous motive is introduced by the bassoons, taken by the strings and beginning in a sinouous and dark fugato. The music becomes more and more tense and dissonant, until reaching an painful anticlimax enhanced by the brass. The second section begins with the flute presenting a lyrical and delicate nursery song over the tremolos of the strings, offering great contrast. The strings take it passionatelly but leading us to a another painful anticlimax. The violin recapitulated the nursery song in a lyrical solo, passing it to clarinet and oboe. A peaceful coda ends the movement. 

 

The third movement is structured as a rondo (A-B-C-A'-B'-C'-Coda). It opens with a bellicose and energic main theme, contrasted by a more folkloric second theme, still vigorously rhythmic and offering little contrast. A slow and enigmatic third theme appears on lower strings solemnly, which grows in an massive and expressive climax. As the music slowly subdues, the main is forcefully recapitulated in a varied way, followed by the second and third, reaching a triumphant climax with the latter one. A victorious coda ends the whole work, as if not all hope was truly lost.

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P.S.: Sie suchen mehr Mjaskowski auf diesem Blog — hier werden Sie geholfen ...