Search - Mosolov, Henck :: Piano Sonatas 2 & 5

Hellish, Bleak, and Violent Piano Music from a Repressed Sov

Hexameron | 03/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alexander Mosolov (1900-1973) was a preeminent figure in the Russian avant-garde movement of the early 20th-century. He was, along with Roslavets, Lourie, and Myaskovsky, considered a cutting-edge modern Soviet composer, but after the rise of Stalin, he and his fellow modernists were viciously repressed and purged from public knowledge. Although he studied under traditional Russian teachers like Gliere and Myaskovsky, his own works explore nether regions that few Soviet composers expressed. If Mosolov is famous for anything, it is most likely his Zavod or "Iron Foundry" orchestral work, which exploits the instruments to evoke the sound of machinery. Mosolov's piano works, however, are of another vein and show some of the most inventive and expressive possibilities of any Soviet composer. Indeed, the "modernism" of these works appeared threatening enough to Stalin, who sentenced Mosolov to eight years in a labor camp.



Mosolov's piano output is limited but highly original. Of his five piano sonatas, four have survived and they exhibit an impressive amalgam of expressive attributes. Although moments of Scriabinesque beauty and passion occur throughout these works, Mosolov's music is overwhelmingly dreary, intense and tinged with high-voltage aggression. Hints of Roslavets emerge in the tonality, but the influence of Prokofiev and Shostakovich vis-a-vis dissonance and percussive rhythm are more apparent. However, Mosolov's idiom is not derivative and is expressively darker than his contemporaries. The Second Piano Sonata (1924) is a masterpiece that few piano connoisseurs know about. Although the work may share a close kinship with late Scriabin, Mosolov creates his own unique sound world: an eerie and depressive atmosphere. The first movement is a 10 minute essay of impressionism and brutality; quiet moments of poignancy contrast with maddening explosions of dissonance. The second "Adagio" movement is a fresco of despair and is almost painfully bleak; the first section features an achingly slow melody with an accompaniment that climbs upwards chromatically and never to any resolution. In the Finale, marked "Allegro tumultuoso, infernale" there are terrifying gusts of virtuosic passage-work that Herbert Henck commands with ease.



The Two Nocturnes Op. 15 date from 1926 and are far removed from the quiet salon genre of the 19th-century. Mosolov's night pieces excavate the darkest regions of the soul. The first, "Elegiaco," is a sinister and gloomy miniature tone-poem, but I believe Schleiermacher's brooding performance (Soviet Avant-Garde) is greater than Henck's. The second, "Adagio" nocturne is similarly mysterious and somber with tinctures of rage. So far, Henck has produced admirable interpretations of Mosolov's music. But the Fifth Sonata loses its forcefulness in his hands. Henck does fine in the first three movements: the "Lento grave" is dynamically expressive and alive with surging energy; the "Elegia" is played fast and the tempo suits this movement better; the "Scherzo marciale" is a hurricane of anger and played with conviction. The last movement, however, and the heart of this entire sonata is played much too fast. Marked "Adagio languente e patetico," this movement is perhaps the most grisly and ominous piano music I've ever heard, and it needs to unfurl slowly. Lombardi understands this and plays it like a dirge with grim determination. But Henck plays with some kind of unyielding "Andante" tempo in his mind, losing the whole "languente" funeral attitude. Compare Lombardi's 13-minute accomplishment to Henck's 8:40 marathon! For this kind of movement, I must urge the reader to trust Lombardi's interpretation and buy the Arte Nova release for the Fifth Sonata (Alexander Mosolov: Piano Works).



Bottom line: Despite my problem with Henck's last movement of the Fifth Sonata, this disc is invaluable to the growing revival of Mosolov's music. This is one of the only available recordings to showcase the Second Sonata and the Two Nocturnes. Mosolov's music is not for the faint-hearted; it is perhaps the darkest and most pessimistic piano music ever penned. If you're comfortable with late Scriabin, Roslavets, Prokofiev, and 20th-century dissonance, then Mosolov should be revelatory."

MOSOLOV -- SCARCE BUT EXCELLENT

Thomas H. Andrews | Duxbury MA USA | 09/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any recording you can get of Mosolov's Sonata 2 is worth having. I also have one other, played by Anton Bagatov on MCA classics (OOP now). Both that & this one are fabulous, but come from very different angles. The other works are very good,too, but the Sonata 2 is the high point here."

Fine Production of Mosolov

Thomas H. Andrews | 04/07/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am not well versed in theory, but I am a lover of modern piano works. This album is very well produced (as are all the ECM releases that I own). Herbert Henck is very sympathetic to this genre and I have nothing but praise to offer for his renderings of 20th century piano music. If you can find it, check out his CD of Gurdjieffs work!!! It's hard to find, but is also an excellent CD"