Stanchinsky - Five Preludes

Five preludes written in 1907 not to be mistaken for the Five Preludes (1907-1912). The video contains the Three Preludes (1907) and two pieces from the Five Preludes (1907-1912).

Hailed as a genius by Alexandrov, Medtner, Prokofiev, and Lourié, Alexei Stanchinsky (1888-1914) was once a household name to Russian composers in the early 20th-century only to be forgotten after the 1917 revolution. Today he is usually regarded as an eccentric composer whose premature death is shrouded in mystery. Throughout his youth, Stanchinsky was prone to mental illness, spent a year (1908-09) in an institution, and was pronounced "incurably insane." He often destroyed his own compositions in fits of hallucination and rage; thankfully, friends and colleagues did much to reconstruct many of his manuscripts. Despite his degrading mental health, Stanchinsky had ambitions in music and concertized widely. Yet in 1914 Stanchinsky's body was discovered near a creek and although the cause of death was unknown, rumors spread that it was suicide. During his studies at the Moscow Conservatory around 1909, Stanchinsky wrote experimental piano pieces that were considered avant-garde for the day. He assimilated elements of Scriabin, Medtner, Mussorgsky, and folk music in the creation of his own style, one that cradles the harmonic language of high Romanticism, especially Scriabin, and his own fascination with polyphonic textures. Interestingly, scholar Larry Sitsky calls Stanchinsky the "Diatonic Webern" for his propensity for diatonic saturation and employment of "polyphony not as a contrasting episode but rather as the essential and organic tool of his music."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• stanchinsky
• medtner
• alexandrov
• rachmaninov
• scriabin
• feinberg
• roslavets

[JCHBONNET]

I had heard of Roslavets for a while but never had a chance to listen to some of his music until now. By the way, since your knowledge of Russian forgetten music seems far greater than mine, have you heard of Mosolov piano concerto ? I heard it once and have been looking for it for more than 10 years now ...

[Hexameron]

I have heard Mosolov's First Piano Concerto Op. 14 and own Khuntsariya's recording.

You'll want to head over to scriabinwasmydad's channel (or just search Mosolov concerto on youtube). The concerto is uploaded there.

[JCHBONNET]

I actually checked on Youtube and found it. However, I suppose Mosolov wrote an other concert piece for piano and orchestra (Scriabinwasmydad seems to say that Mosolov indeed wrote a second concerto) since this is not the one I heard : it sounded more "Soviet" and gave me the impression of being in a huge railway station (in France, incoming trains are announced with a succession of notes similar to the concerto main theme !!!). Unfortunately , I cannot find it on Youtube ...

[Hexameron]

I am in the process of acquiring a recording of the Second Piano Concerto (from a Russian import CD). When I get the disc, I'll upload the concerto and you can determine if it's what you heard.

[JCHBONNET]

I am amazed by the number of composers having followed Scriabin's path ! I thought Bax and Sczymanovski were the few having integrated some elements of Scriabin style in their piano composition ! Thanks to you Hexameron, I have finally found an interest in Youtube !!!

[Hexameron]

The number of Scriabinists just in Russia was huge. If you haven't already, you must check out the music of Feinberg and Roslavets, probably two of the most significant composers to effectively assimilate Scriabinesque elements into their own unique musical language.

[RyoSaleh]

Très émouvant ...

[chutdigadut]

This is such a deep composer. His music offers such a profound charisma which in my opinion is on the same level of Rachmaninoff & Scriabin

[skrodl]

@garth813 You can find all of Stanchinsky's music on imslp.org

[lovesGenet]

There was greatness all over Russia. How many never made it or were swallowed by Stalin. America is lucky we get Steiner , Babbitt, Feldman , Tenney ! Many Jews made it in hollywood writing music. I gotta have some me hebrew in me blood!

[garth813]

Hey can you tell me where you found the sheet music for this, been looking for this for awhile.

[adamhzzk]

Someone needs to post Edvard Syomin playing all 8

[stanchinsky]

II from 1907 , lento espressivo. Is so simple and so profound. Thanks for sharing!

[Und1ne]

Thanks a lot for that useful piece of advice :)

[JCHBONNET]

No, I'm not. Zavod is indeed one of the most impressive orchestral work ever written but his second concerto is a different work. I hope Hexameron will upload it soon.

[thetamman]

Are you're thinking of Zavod - The Iron Foundry?