Samuil Feinberg: Sonata No. 3 (Christophe Sirodeau)

[@tarikeld11]

In many years of listening to russian 20th century piano music, I have rarely been as overwhelmed as by the passage starting at 7:40 til the end. These harmonies are just too powerful and breathtaking...

[@dhu2056]

This recording sacrifices cleanliness and musicality for speed.

[@fuguehoppy6956]

The Third Sonata is written in three movements: a Prelude (0:10), a Funeral March (3:33), and an expansive third movement called “Sonata” (10:21). Marked “Misure diverse” and without a time signature, the Prelude is a brooding and improvisatory movement in G minor that introduces motivic material (the “ur-motive”) in measures 1 and 2 (0:10) that defines the Sonata as a whole. This “ur-motive” can be broken into two sub-motives that are frequently used independently: motive A, a three-note chromatic descent, and motive B, an upwards leap of a sixth followed by a descending interval. Contrasting major-key material is introduced in 0:56, and a large-scale repetition of the opening starts in 1:53. The movement finishes with a short coda in the tonic key (2:57). The second movement, in G# minor, is entitled “Funeral March,” likely a reference to the third movement of Chopin’s Op. 35 Sonata, and also perhaps to the last movement of Scriabin’s First Sonata. The movement, which is in G# minor, opens with a transformation of the “ur-motive” that opened the first movement. A second theme group, in E♭ major, is introduced in measure 9 (4:44). After a short development section, the second theme group returns (5:28), followed by the first theme in measure 37 (7:55). The first theme recapitulation (8:22) is expanded through sequence and repetition and is grounded by descending octave bass pedal points that stall on D♮ before reaching a conclusive D# in measure 48 (9:16). A plagal cadence re-establishes G# as the tonic and starts the coda in measure 49. The third movement is the only movement written in an unambiguous sonata-allegro form, including an exposition repeat (13:02), and it contains an extended development section (15:55). The movement begins and ends in G# minor, with a clear, contrasting second theme, initially presented in E major in measure 43, marked Lento (11:47). The development section consists of an introduction and a long fugue, which includes a parody of the last movement of Chopin’s B♭ Minor Sonata (kzbin.info/www/bejne/epLRhpStl6qpjqM), marked Impetuoso (18:38). Material from the introduction returns to form the retransition, with the recapitulation starting in measure 199 (19:29). The sonata concludes with a lengthy coda (20:09) that includes restatements of themes from all three movements (1st mov. at 23:07, 2nd mov. at 22:02 and 22:14, and 3rd mov. at 22:48).

[@kpokpojiji]

There are several recordings of Feinberg performing on youtube. He was an astounding pianist.

[@ziriyab]

I literally have no idea how any can play this! But it is totally hooking to listen to (and watch...and try to keep up!!)

[@SCRIABINIST]

Feinberg is the type of person to write beautiful music that is damn near impossible to play

[@handledav]

Scriabinism

[@Whatismusic123]

Feinberg the type of person to write random noise that is near impossible to play

[@b2.3332]

@@Whatismusic123nuh uh

[@leodubovsky6245]

I even played his sonata nr 8

[@lisztomaniac2718]

@@Medtszkowski Come on, WIM is a jerk, but leave Scriabin alone.

[@anhducduong0105]

Wow, Sirodeau's technique is insane 😮

[@bd6439]

I spoke to Marc Andre Hamelin privately in 2010 and he told me the tempo of these recordings were manipulated in the studio...they sped up certain parts; notably the fugue.

[@iliketurtles5180]

Why would he think that?

[@im_piano]

When you're trying to prove everyone that you're more Scriabin than Scriabin himself.

[@f1f1s]

Or if one imagines ‘what if Medner wrote demonic music as if he were possessed?’

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

18:37

[@jonaskatona7136]

Samuil Feinberg is to early 20th-century classical piano like David Maslanka is to contemporary wind ensemble music lmao Feinberg's music sounds great, complex, and very expressive, but all of these crazy flourishes and textural details make Feinberg's music extremely difficult to play!

[@matthewparis1907]

At the bottom of any analysis of the piece is how much a run of four or five chromatic notes is the source of work of genius. it might be said that the harmonies remind one of Scriabin but both were very familiar with Chopin's excursions in chromaticism. Yet the aesthetic intent of all three composers is different. History has to be rewritten to name the great Russian composers. Obviously this sonata takes a different direction than the savage satire of Prokeffiev and Shostakovitch.

[@leecherlarry]

plays faster than de hamelin

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

They play it around the same speed, but Hamelin's version is clearer. They play the sonatas as good but for the rest of Feinberg's piano repertoire, I prefer Sirodeau.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

It's just that Sirodeau plays the fugue (16:42) faster.

[@aakarshitsingh1535]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji the fugue at that tempo sounds so fierce

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@aakarshitsingh1535 the fugue for me is rather playful, than fierce, at whatever tempo.

[@ConcordMass]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji and 20:09 :( I really like that part slow like how hamelin plays it

[@matthewparis1907]

I'd have to stop my life to play this piece. It's awfully good. Like Scriabin Sonata Number Three only more so. My thanks to this pianist! He's better than me!

[@TheModicaLiszt]

16:43

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Indeed

[@BobJeff-x3u]

oh wow hey!! nice to come across you again in a random comments section a year on after the mussorgsky pictures tour

[@TheModicaLiszt]

@@BobJeff-x3u LSSO 😌

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

16:42 fugue

[@giuseppemoscato8328]

5:49 12:36

[@handledav]

m

[@marc.johansson]

18:38.

[@mobilephil244]

Impressive and quite engaging .. but an awful lot of the same sound. The technical difficulty also looks unreasonable.

[@danielche2349]

Aditya Deshpande's rendition is better

[@Whatismusic123]

This is not music.

[@GabrielleDelphia-yf8wh]

What is it?

[@Whatismusic123]

@@GabrielleDelphia-yf8wh random noise

[@kope7398]

It's not even unpredictable. Do you have a personal definition of random or do you mean something else entirely?

[@Whatismusic123]

@@kope7398 even thought out processes seem random, if there is no real structure behind them. Intention is not everything. Randomness can still exist within order, or in this case, pseudo-order. The only thing this piece has, is pseudo-scientific methods to pretend that it has real thought put into it. It is no different from what a poorly trained AI could make.

[@kope7398]

I am a bit confused. You say that an AI could make it, and you say that it has some type of [pseudo] order to it. By saying those things, you are pointing to the belief that the noise is not random. To me, it just seems a bit contradictory. So are you saying that the noise is random and the structure is bad? Or is it just that the structure is bad? Or are you saying that it just seems random, but really it isn't?

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

11:46