12th Symphony (Myaskovsky)
| 12th symphony | |
|---|---|
| subtitle | " Kolkhoz -Sinfonie" (working title) "October Symphony" (published) "Kolkhoznaya (Collective Farm)" (Engl.) |
| key | G minor |
| opus | 35 |
| Sentence names |
|
| Total duration | about 33 minutes |
| Composed | 1931/1932 |
| occupation | Symphony orchestra |
| premiere | On 1 June 1932 by the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater under the direction of Albert Coates |
| dedication | "On the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution " |
The Symphony in G minor, Op. 35, is the twelfth symphony by the composer Nikolai Jakowlewitsch Mjaskowski .
History of origin
With the beginning of the forced collectivization of agriculture in the Soviet Union , Myaskovsky came up with the idea of dedicating a symphony to rural life and its change. Before he put this idea into practice, he composed the eleventh symphony . He wrote the twelfth symphony on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution and was therefore under a certain time pressure. The work was created in the winter of 1931/32 and was completed on January 1st. On April 23, the CPSU passed a resolution on the restructuring of literary-artistic organizations , which forced many artists to restructure their work. Mjaskowski also tried to find a new tonal language during this time, the eleventh and especially the twelfth symphonies, both of which were composed before the decision, already show significant changes. S. Gulinskaja speaks of a "brightening" and "democratization".
analysis
The first movement in G minor has the form ABCDCBA. The theme of the A section is first played by the clarinet at a moderate tempo and varied in the B section. The C section is based on a slower melody of the lower strings and wind instruments, which initially appears in unison and is later processed in contrapuntal . The middle section is in major for the first time, and the tempo is faster. The theme is dance-like and is led through different keys. The second movement is a Scherzo in C minor that begins with brass fanfares in D. A fugue is followed by a theme that is strongly reminiscent of the second theme of the second movement of the ninth symphony . The movement ends again with the fanfares, this time in C major. The last movement in G major brings up several themes from the previous movements.
Reception and criticism
The Twelfth Symphony is perhaps Myaskovsky's most controversial work. There was a lot of discussion and criticism both in terms of content and music. Mjaskowski himself was dissatisfied with the work in places, which was mainly due to the fact that the composer was under time pressure and his health was in poor health. He wrote to Prokofiev about the last sentence: "Despite the great strain of my good will, nothing came about in this finale [...] except banalities".
The work was premiered on June 1, 1932. Mjaskowski was not satisfied with the interpretation of the conductor Albert Coates. According to his statement, Coates took the fast tempos "with serenity" and the slow ones "feverishly rebellious". Despite the composer's efforts, Coates was not prepared to adapt the symphony to the version that had previously been played to him on the piano. Myaskovsky was therefore not sad that he missed the premiere due to illness. During the rehearsals he had gained enough impressions to correct the mistakes and prepare the score for printing. The sheet music appeared just in time for the anniversary date of the revolution.
Myaskowski's handling of such a delicate subject as collectivization is problematic. For example, the pianist and Mjaskowski interpreter Murray McLachlan wrote about the work: "[...] and certainly it is hard to listen seriously to a work with the title 'Collective Farm Symphony' [...]" ("[...] and certainly it is difficult to seriously listen to a work with the title "Collectivization Symphony" [...] "). Mjaskowski's personal stance on this is difficult to discern, as in the treatment of the October Revolution in the Sixth Symphony . The author Maya Pritsker also doubts that Myaskovsky was informed about the famine caused by collectivization in Ukraine, for example , because the press did not report it objectively. The Soviet regime saw criticism in the work, at least it is likely that the formalism allegation expressed in 1948 has its reasons in this symphony, among other things.
Musically, the work is counted among the rather weaker compositions of Mjaskowski. The reasons for this may lie in the time pressure Myaskovsky was exposed to and in his poor health. It cannot be answered whether the problem of the submission also contributed. The Mjaskowski researcher Eric Schissel criticizes the work above all for showing strong similarities and similarities to the Ninth Symphony and at the same time failing to achieve its quality.
literature
- CD supplement Warner Music France 2564 69689-8 (Miaskovsky: Intégrale des Symphonies, Evgeny Svetlanov (cond.))
- Soja Gulinskaja: Nikolai Jakowlewitsch Mjaskowski. Moscow 1981, German Berlin 1985