Anatoly Alexandrov ‒ Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 4, "Sonata Skazka"

Anatoly Alexandrov (1888 - 1982), Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 4, "Sonata Skazka"
Performed by Kyung-Ah Noh
Alexandrov’s prolific output contains two symphonies, a piano concerto, five operas (one of them for children), four string quartets and a considerable number of songs. He also edited the music of other composers, including Tchaikovsky’s string quartets for the complete edition of his works. But it is his piano music, and in particular the fourteen piano sonatas composed between 1914 and 1971, that most comprehensively map his evolution as a creative artist. Together with his songs, the sonatas form the core of his output. The first three are all compact, single-movement structures, influenced by Lisztian models and, more immediately, by Skryabin. The composer himself indicated that up to the Eighth Sonata (1939-44), the odd numbers reflect ‘modernism’ and the even ones ‘Medtner’, though having experienced the music itself, listeners may not agree with this sweeping assessment.
Composed in 1914 at the same time as Alexandrov was working on his First String Quartet, the Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 4, was known by its Russian title ‘Sonata-Skazka’ or the German ‘Märchen-Sonate’. The first of three consecutive single-movement examples in the genre, it is concise and fluent, with a marked delicacy and subtlety of expression. The main theme is so all-pervasive that the piece is virtually monothematic, although the variety of accompanying textures and rhythms ensures there is no risk of monotony. In particular, an undulating five-note ostinato seems to haunt the work, lending it the fairy-tale quality alluded to in its subtitle. Medtner’s influence, as well as that of Scriabin, was detected by contemporary commentators, and not only in relation to its title and single-span format. Perhaps because of the conspicuousness of its models, Alexandrov became dissatisfied with the piece and in 1964 reworked the material into an entirely new sonata, his Thirteenth, Op. 90, which preserves from the original its principal theme, coda, subtitle and dedication, to the composer’s brother.