Anatoly Alexandrov ‒ 2 Passages, Op. 16a

Anatoly Alexandrov (1888 - 1982), 2 Passages, Op. 16a

Performed by Kyung-Ah Noh

00:00 - No. 1 Amethysts: Andante poetico
01:38 - No. 2 The Enchanted Castle: Volando

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.

In the Two Passages from the Music to M. Maeterlinck’s Drama ‘Ariana and Bluebeard’, Op. 16a (1923) – Alexandrov had written the incidental music for a production in 1920 – the first piece, ‘Amethysts’, is an evocative cantilena with delicate tracery and a hypnotic, ostinato accompaniment. The following toccata-like vignette, entitled ‘The Enchanted Castle’, features another repeated figure, this time in the right hand. A charming theme, in the manner of a folksong and a relative of the main melody of ‘Amethysts’, is stated twice, deftly placed in the inner voices upon its second appearance.

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