Medtner - Sonata Skazka Op. 25 No. 1 (Tozer)

The Medtner Sonata Skazka (Sonata Tales) is a beautiful sonata, a magical journey that perfeclty fits its name. It contains 3 movements :
I. Allegro abbandonamente : 00:05
II. Andantino con moto : 04:56
III. Allegro con spirito : 08:19
The first movement starts by a mystical and pratically other-worldly theme. From the start, both hands are alternating into a question/answer motif, which is perfect, because it sounds like a story, a tale, melancholic and contemplative, which accelerate and get more anxious (00:42), then introduce a tale-like melancholic theme (01:10). It suddenly gets happier (01:26). Getting back to the more anxious motif at (01:36), it then escalate and escalate, it explodes (01:55), and suddenly, at (01:59), a new motif appears, made of really fast repeated notes, going through syncopated rythms and getting faster and faster, until the return of the first theme at (02:33). Then all of that is repeated, until an explosion of a joyful-mad feeling (04:03).The tale-like melancholic theme of (01:10) is then used back at (04:17) with the motif of (01:26), mixed together in a beautiful result. Then, a triomphant and glorious motif appears at the end, concluding the 1st movement.
The second movement opens with a relaxing and calm theme, really contrasted to the fast, anxious and sometimes triomphant feelings of the 1st movement. It gets darker at (05:28), with mixed happy and mysterious feelings. The part at (06:27) is more triomphant and a little glorious, with joyful feelings at the same time. At (06:57) the mysterious ambiance comes back, and suddenly morph into a coming storm at (07:04) which intensifies (07:07) and resolve at (07:20), showing the calm after the tempest. Though, at (07:51) the menacing ambiance comes back, escalating and escalating until the final blown up (08:07) that ends the second movements, and introduce the 3rd.
The third movement is, again, a completely different story, a new chapter to that wonderful tale.It starts brutally, abruptely and march-like, motif that looks like the incoming sonata Op. 30 in A minor. Some beautiful and passioned arpeggios starts at (09:07), a flow of beauty and again a motif that will be used back in his Sonata Op. 30. The march and arpeggios repeats until the Andantino con moto at (10:10). This part, calmer and resigned, graduatlly increase until (10:45) where the march motif restarts and explodes at (10:53). Then, even if the march motif starts back, the themes of the 1st movement are reused (11:09) and even more clearly at (11:18), where the theme and motif of the 1st movement is reused and adapted into a more dance-like move. At (11:30) the theme of 1st movement is used in a more nostalgic way, calm and sad. Suddenly at (11:49), it gets faster, faster, repeat and a beautiful and mysterious arpeggio comes. A little reminescence of the march like motif (12:01), and a fast and dry arpeggio marked pianissimo concludes that masterpiece.

[@SCRIABINIST]

My new favourite Medtner Sonata, the repeated rhythms and the sparkles in that 2nd movement are so eargasmic!

[@Varhostak]

Velmi hluboce propracované hudební dílo s mnoha zajímavými detaily. 👍

[@emilyhutjes]

Alexander Malofeev plays Medtner often as an encore. Great composer Medtner was. Thank you for posting.🌷🌷

[@AsrielKujo]

Very beautiful one... Soo peaceful and chilling

[@SeigneurReefShark]

Yes, like a magical tale and journey

[@SeigneurReefShark]

I. Allegro abbandonamente : 00:05
II. Andantino con moto : 04:56
III. Allegro con spirito : 08:19

[@lucasdelliosiv7493]

The very beginning of the second movement sounds almost identical to the 18th variation from Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody in a theme of Paganini, just in a different key

[@ThomasJagusch]

I was rather reminded of Schumann somehow. Maybe his first sonata in f sharp minor..

[@fulviopolce9785]

Fantastic sonata.Great Tozer's performance!
Thanks for posting.

[@Barichter74318]

The second mvt is one of my favorites from Medtner

[@tarikeld11]

4:56 I thought he's going to play Chopin's Nocturne in Eb major xD

[@DdavidoffC]

My second-favorite Medtner sonata, after its opus partner, the behemoth Night Wind. Definitely not my favorite Tozer interpretation, though. Feels perfunctory, like he just wants to get it over with, as if he doesn't take the work seriously because it's on the shorter and easier end for Medtner. A lot of very crass moments in the first movement, too. Very atypical performance from him.

[@astanakazakhstan3220]

yeah Hamish Milne plays this piece much better

[@Hyde2997]

Im totaly agree, like in 2:00

[@HodGabriel]

Does anybody know, how his Romantica Sonata quotes this one? I have heard that the Romantica's last movement quotes some melody from this sonata, but where exactly?

[@rexy7399]

The motif of 1 mvt. is the reference to Op.54 No.2🤔

[@dzordzszs]

The reverse

[@simonthompson8094]

Is this Bb major or Bb minor

[@SeigneurReefShark]

It's C minor

[@TheMusicalKnokcers]

@@SeigneurReefShark lol

[@Hyde2997]

2 very close scale

[@DavidLopez-zp7vv]

Bronze