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For years I mostly knew only his perhaps most famous work, the Sonata Reminiscenza, with its incredibly lyrical opening theme(I heard Gilels play this live at Carnegie Hall ages ago): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT6zEFxKhfE
Some other Fairy Tales that I think show Medtner's ability to write an opening melody so beautiful that it immediately captures your attention:
Medtner is an exciting composer. This is for sure. For me, his music has the ability to take audiences on a emotional roller coaster if they choose to trust the performer and come along for the ride. Both pieces of Op. 20 are prime examples.
I love just about anything by Medtner but find his Fairy Tails to be among his most compelling writing. Sure, they're not the most difficult or most recognized pieces he wrote but they're beautiful, lyrical pieces each of which with its own unique characteristics. I particularly like the Fairy Tale Op. 51, No. 2.
I've always had a special fondness for the entire Op 51 Skazki set -- the pieces are so full of wit and charm, and so Russian in character. I agree with the assessment of the two Op 20 Skazki, although those are both daunting technically. The Op 34 set is also very strong, No 2 being particularly lyrical. The Op 26 No 1 Skazka is especially beautiful; Chris Keys has just posted a very nice rendition of this piece in the Recordings section of the Pianist Corner. I believe the reason Medtner isn't more appreciated is that he thinks in quite long melodic arches, and it takes a couple of listenings to sense the flow; i.e, he needs to "grow on you". Although his thinking is resolutely tonal, his music is subtle and IMO not easy to fully realize musically -- but it's worth it to do so.
But otherwise, Medtner remains rather a hard sell for me. One evening I plowed through the sonatas with the Dover score (Hamelin playing), and I was in awe of the technical demands, but was at a loss to find anything particularly memorable otherwise. A certain sameness set in which I found rather distressing.
More seriously damaging to me, however, is the 1st piano concerto. A great barn-storming Russian concerto, but in following the score I had a very uneasy feeling that so many of its nasty difficulties were there for their own sake, and not really contributing anything solid to the musical argument.
I fully realize this opinion is not shared by everyone, and one day I hope I may feel differently.
As much as I am a died-in-the-wool Medtner fan, I have to agree with you about his larger scale works. Unfortunately, I think he was trying too hard to compose something significant and let his natural lyricism go in favor of being momentous. The result is technically challenging but not as emotionally satisfying as his smaller works, at least to me. IMHO, he's at his best in the smaller scale works but I do enjoy his sonatas (the late Geoffrey Tozer performing) very much.
Well, I don't agree with the "other" other Jason. Not on the sonatas.
I too spent some time with a recording and the sonata scores, and in a few days, I only digested the earlier sonatas-- the prototypical op.5, the three single-movement op.11 sonatas, and the big g minor op.22 sonata.
I loved them all. I thought his melodies, especially the exposition lyrical melodies, were piercing and unforgettable. And he has a fascinating rhythmic sense, far more innovative (to my ears) than Rachmaninoff and Scriabin-- listen to the rhythms of the second movement of that op.5 sonata, for example. It was all very eye-opening to me.
The single-movement Ab sonata (op.11/1) has made it to my "will play some day" list.
As much as I am a died-in-the-wool Medtner fan, I have to agree with you about his larger scale works. Unfortunately, I think he was trying too hard to compose something significant and let his natural lyricism go in favor of being momentous. The result is technically challenging but not as emotionally satisfying as his smaller works, at least to me. IMHO, he's at his best in the smaller scale works but I do enjoy his sonatas (the late Geoffrey Tozer performing) very much.
Thanks, Greg, I think you summed that up very well. But I suppose the sophisticates on the board will have us for lunch! Medtner will always have a certain snobbish appeal, and good on them.
I'm sort of reminded of Charles Stanford. He wrote music of unparalleled quality for the Anglican Rite (and a fair amount of it is still regularly sung in the UK), but his six symphonies are very problematic.
All the motions are there in spades, he practically approaches Brahms in the handling of sonata-allegro and orchestration (he was a great teacher), but at the end of the day, his music simply lacks the 'spark' of genius. He develops climaxes on the level of Beethoven's 7th, but the material never measures up.
Well, I don't agree with the "other" other Jason. Not on the sonatas.
Which is to say I may still have work to do here. Horowitz certainly wondered why Medtner was not more frequently played, 'in some ways more deeper than Rachmaninov' as he said.
There are some that take me a while to warm up to.
There are some that I "hate" or "have to work at" but become my all time favorites with repeated listening
There are some that I still don't "get" and perhaps never will. That doesn't mean I'll stop trying. In most cases, the "limiting factor" is the listener, not the composer. Sure, there's junk out there not worth anyone's time but I think anyone who has listened to music seriously for any length of time recognizes substance when they hear it whether the particular piece touches them or not.
Sure, there's junk out there not worth anyone's time but I think anyone who has listened to music seriously for any length of time recognizes substance when they hear it whether the particular piece touches them or not.
I recognize A GREAT DEAL of substance in Medtner -how could I not?- but, so far at least, it does not touch me.
But things do change. I well remember as a lad being totally unmoved by Beethoven's Op 27/1. Now I think it one of his greatest sonatas, and most definitely a favourite.
I just want to pipe up and say that Medtner's playing makes a better case for him than anything else. Tozer and Hamelin tend to make his music sound blocky, monotonous, and repetitive. Medtner played his own music with such glorious, restrained, liquid phrasing that I don't have a choice but to be convinced. If it's not played by a superlative artist like Medtner, Moiseiwitsch or Gilels, though, it doesn't sound special. And then, of course, there's the issue that you need nerves of steel.
just to all of you who play with the thought of ever trying to start to play/perform some of Medtner's pieces, here are my first ventures: sonata- triade op.11/3, Primavera and Danza Festiva, very short and wellwrought, melodious pieces that don't sound like Rachmaninoff or Scriabin at all, have a real fresh new-romantic glow and prepare you for some of the more ambitious pieces like the 5th sonata in g, a masterpiece, alas overshadowed by (mostly) the first tune of the ever-so-overplayed Reminiscenza, and will never prepare us for the ultimate Medtner: op.27/2, Night Wind, his masterpiece.
I wasn't familiar with Medtner until I read a thread here last year. At first the pieces each sounded like a bit of fluff, but the more I listened, the more I heard. I'm working on the Fairy Tale Op. 51 #2. He's really growing on me. I wonder why he isn't played more often?
Not on the sonatas.
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