BORIS GILTBURG - PIANO

Under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Yaakov Levy,
Ambassador of Israel to the Czech Republic

The catalog of the works of SERGEY SERGEYEVICH PROKOFIEV (1891˗-1953) draws attention to, among other things  the number of juvenilia it contains, that is early, immature, compositions which, in relation to his works as a whole, we have reason to place into a sort or parentheses. The subtitle “From old notebooks” is carried by Prokofiev’s third and later Fourth Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 29. The origin of his fourth piano sonata lies in two juvenilia which stand outside the traditional numbering sequence, namely the symphony and the fifth piano sonata, which Prokofiev wrote while he was still at the conservatory. In comparison with his other piano compositions, this sonata is more introspective and restrained.

The compositional legacy of SERGEY VASIL´YEVICH RAKHMANINOV (1873˗-1943) is not that extensive. Composition was far from being Rakhmaninov’s only life-long devotion. He was able to quite successfully marry the careers of pianist, conductor, and musical entrepreneur. The original version of the Piano Sonata No. 2 in b flat minor was written in 1913, but the final version saw the light of day only in 1931. The composer’s greatest inspiration was P.I. Tchaikovsky and the romantic pathos demonstrated in tonight’s second piano sonata more than demonstrates this.

With a certain amount of exaggeration, it could be said that ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810˗-1856) also had more than one career. He was not only an excellent composer, but also an excellent musical critic. His close association with literature started at an early age. In his youth, Schuman had the chance to meet the writer Jean Paul in person. The climactic scene of Paul’s novel Flegeljahren, which takes place at a masquerade ball, inspired Schumann to write his piano cycle Papillons, Op. 2 („Butterflies“) at the beginning of the 1830s. Such a connection between music and the text of a novel was still quite unique for the time.  In Schumann’s early dance-oriented cycle we still do not encounter the piano in its romantic grandeur, but the transition from the classicist Viennese atmosphere is more than evident even in its melodically fragile parts.

The fate of FRANZ LISZT (1811˗-1886) included many incidents of true romance. From the strictly-raised son of a Hungarian court official, through very intimate relationships with women, even after joining the Franciscan Order, and taking lower holy orders and reaching the rank of Abbé.

Piano sonata B minor, S. 178 was created at the beginning of the 1850s during the very peak of Liszt’s career as a concert pianist. In expression, the dramatic work offers clear evidence of romantic adhesion to experienced classical approaches. Among the superlatives which are traditionally lauded on this composition even the most respectful and valuable appear: Sonata in B minor is considered to be the best musical work ever written for solo piano.