9th Symphony (Myaskovsky)

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9th symphony
key E minor
opus 28
Sentence names
  • I Andante sostenuto
  • II Presto
  • III Lento molto
  • IV Allegro con grazia
Total duration approx. 42 minutes
Composed 1926/1927
occupation Symphony orchestra ( 3332/4331 / Pk / Schl / Hrf / Str )
premiere On April 29, 1928 under the direction
of Konstantin Saradschew
dedication "For Nikolai Andrejewitsch Malko "

The Symphony in E minor, Op. 28, is the ninth symphony by the composer Nikolai Jakowlewitsch Mjaskowski .

History of origin

Myaskovsky made the first sketches for the ninth symphony in Tutschkowo in the summer of 1926 . At this point he wasn't sure whether the work should really be a symphony or a suite . He himself called it an "indefinable little music animal". In November, Mjaskowski went on his only trip abroad, first to Warsaw for the dedication of the Chopin monument and then to Vienna . There he met the director of the universal publishing house AI Dsimitrowski to sign a contract for the publication of his chamber music works. Myaskovsky quickly moved back to Russia to take care of his students again and to continue working on his compositions. In Moscow he worked out the sketches made in the summer for the drafts of a symphony, then he devoted himself to the conception of the tenth symphony . Only then did he orchestrate the ninth symphony, which was finished at the end of 1927.

analysis

The relatively large-scale symphony is again in four movements and again the positions of the scherzo and the slow movement are reversed. The music is similar to the seventh symphony and is in contrast to the tenth, as the seventh to the sixth . The character is predominantly dreamy and lyrical, the tensions of the earlier symphonies are absent. During this time, Myaskovsky had studied the music of Debussy more closely and had Prokofiev send him some scores from Paris. In Debussy he admired, in his own words, the way of depicting the “lovely breathing of nature” in his music. The themed material is designed in a straightforward manner and is largely based on folk songs or melodies similar to folk songs . Mjaskowski uses rich polyphony , but the music always remains transparent. Some melodies and motifs run through the whole piece.

The first movement begins with some dissonant chords that create a mysterious atmosphere. Only the last of these chords has a clear key with E minor and introduces the second theme, which is called "Moderato malinconico". The melody is contrapuntally interwoven and varied with the first theme (the melody of the opening chords). Later it is underlaid with a triplet figure of the wind instruments. In the middle of the movement appears a part in C major , which in some places already anticipates the theme of the second movement. The recapitulation brings in all the formal parts and the movement ends with a clear calm, in which fragments of the melodies can be heard here and there. The second movement is a sonata form in G sharp minor and has an overall lighter mood than the first movement. The main theme, which was heard in the first movement, is followed by a second one that is song-like and rhythmic. The rest of the movement follows the formal pattern, only in the coda does the mood become a little bit more bitter and angry. S. Gulinskaja describes the theme of the third movement as one of the “most beautiful and intimate melodies of Myaskovsky”.

Reception and criticism

The symphony was premiered on April 29, 1928, i.e. only after the premiere of the tenth symphony. The symphony was a success, even if it is one of the composer's rather insignificant works. Mjaskowski had called it a “symphonic intermezzo ” from the start and attached more importance to the tenth symphony, which was composed almost at the same time. The composer was nevertheless very satisfied with this work; in his opinion it was his first “easily playable for orchestra, ie comfortably arranged from a musical point of view”. The work is dedicated to the conductor Nikolai Malko, who premiered Myaskovsky's Fifth Symphony .

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

Web links