Balakirev

Balakirev –

Sonata in Bb minor

Mvt. I
This is a wonderful use of a fugue in a sonata. I wonder if Balakirev was influenced by Berlioz, considering that Berlioz seems to begin most of his large works with fugues, though not slow and nice ones like this. Balakirev’s departure from symmetry for the second section of this first movement is wonderful, and easy to follow with all the turns to point out the melodies entrance in different areas at different times. This movement seems to be the opposite of Islamey in that it feels like nothing is for show. Very seldom does one come across a composer with the bravery to have a slow first movement to their sonata.

Mvt. II – Mazurka
This definitely feels like a mazurka. The emphasis on beat two is very clearly marked and quite Chopinesque at times. The atmosphere of this movement shares similarities with the first movement, especially in terms of delicate and feminine voice types. Once again the craftsmanship is decidedly pianistic, displaying Balakirev’s ability to compose in timbres and textures specifically for the piano.

Mvt. III – Intermezzo
When I hear intermezzo I naturally think Brahms. The rhythmic styling’s are like Brahms to me, though the piece is much more melody than motive, and a bit too free to sound like Brahms. This movement seems to me like an improvisatory intermezzo, similar to where the form originated. This sounds a great deal like a Chopin nocturne at times, and the existence of two voices is similar to many Rachmaninoff preludes.

Mvt. IV – Finale
The use of a duple meter is exactly what one would expect from a sonata. Balakirev does a great job of incorporating the elements introduced with the first three movements, making sure that each movement has the same “sound”. This movement is obviously a great deal more virtuosic than the preceding three. In this movement there are several techniques similar to Islamey, leading me to believe that Balakirev had an easily definable virtuosic language. His gift seems to me to be the voicing of his slower sections. Across all the works I find that I am the most captivated when the virtuosity ends and the singing line emerges.

Islamey

I confess that I have never really listened to this piece until now, though I have heard many stories about its difficulties. To me, and this may just be the recording I am listening to, it reminds me a great deal of Paganini, specifically the fact that the difficulty seems to hinder the musical ideas significantly. To this day I have never heard a Paganini caprice performed in a way that was aurally pleasing, sure it seems REALLY difficult, but it is not really fun to listen to. I imagine that if Paganini played it that it would be enjoyable, but it seems to me that amongst the mere mortals of modern string performance that it is only attempted for the sake of overcoming a challenge.

Balakirev’s use of a monophonic idea at the start is extremely successful, lending the folksy elements of hammered dulcimers or gypsy bands. Balakirev’s use of technical devices within a seemingly limited use of register is interesting, and I would not think that the non-pianist would ever comprehend how difficult the textures become within these registers. The use of double notes, thirds, syncopations, chords, and octaves all serve to turn this piece into a testament of those who harness the full range of piano technique.

The way in which the melody is buried in the inside voices during the tranquillo section lends a wonderful timbre to the overall use of piano. The craftsmanship of this slow section is a perfect display of music composed for piano, not just set to piano. The transfer of the scales from the low end to the high end of the piano while the melody remains untouched in the middle is a brilliant use of three-handed composition. This section would definitely seem as difficult to the audience as the performer.

The section with all the tremolo chords is definitely something that Rachmaninoff would have been influenced by. He includes this technique very often in his concertos, especially the second. The presto furioso section that closes the piece, if played on a light action piano in a hall with large amounts of reverb, would be a fantastic aural effect of manufactured vibration and echoing.