Godowsky - Passacaglia on Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony (Part 1/2)

Get the latest Flash player

Hexameron
June 08, 2009

Passacaglia, 44 variations, cadenza and fugue on the opening theme of Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony (1927) Antti Siirala, piano Marc-Andre Hamelin writes: "Although Godowsky's extraordinary P...

Passacaglia, 44 variations, cadenza and fugue on the opening theme of Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony (1927)

Antti Siirala, piano

Marc-Andre Hamelin writes:

"Although Godowsky's extraordinary Passacaglia has had a number of performances in the last couple of decades, it will be some time before it is recognized for what it is. Some of its daunting reputation stems from an unfortunate and rather silly remark that Vladimir Horowitz once made. A look at the score reveals that, although admittedly greatly demanding, the work is certainly not out of reach pianistically, and more pianists should be encouraged to discover this noble and majestic creation. The range of invention displayed throughout this weighty and reverential tribute is enormous. Godowsky employs a good variety of textures and harmonic activity, as well as some very imaginative counterpoints The composer Kaikhosru Sorabji thought enough of the Passacaglia to write that it deserved a place alongside a work such as Regers Bach Variations, Op 81, even stating that Godowskys opus 'far surpasses [Regers] in sustained pianistic interest and variety of treatment.'"

According to Jeremy Nicholas:

"Schuberts theme remains intact save for the addition of an anacrustic F sharp which facilitates elision between the variations. During the course of these, Godowsky takes the opportunity to pay tribute to several other composers. There is an acknowledgement of Bachs great Passacaglia in C minor in Godowskys choice of this ancient form, and another to Brahms and the passacaglia in his Fourth Symphony. The writing has stylistic references to Brahms himself (variations 31-35, 38, 39), Chopin (9, 27), Rachmaninov (19, 20, 24) and others—Scarlatti, Ravel, Richard Strauss—including a reference to Schuberts Erlkönig in variation 37. The music is dominated by a mood of dark, anguished brooding, reflecting Godowskys pessimistic state of mind at the time. In [a letter] written a few weeks after the Passacaglia's completion he confided:

'I am constantly in a state of depression. I really think there is no purpose that we, mortals, can find in our being here and having all those terrifying puzzling things around us and about us. Why? Wherefore? What do even the sublimest efforts of mortal geniuses amount to in the scheme of Cosmic phenomena?' "

Category: Music

Tags:

godowsky schubert unfinished symphony busoni reger brahms rachmaninov

More From: Hexameron

Play All Stop Autoplaying | Play Next

QuickList(0)

Clear | Save

Would you like to comment?

Join YouTube for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.

YouTube	Programs	Help	Policy	Discover
Contact Us	Advertising	Get Help	Privacy Policy	YouTube on Your Phone
YouTube Store	Developers	YouTube Handbook	Terms of Service	YouTube on Your Site
Press Room	Partnerships	Community Help Forums	Copyright Notices	YouTube on Your TV
Business Blog	Content Management	Safety Center	Community Guidelines	YouTube RSS Feeds
YouTube Blog		Creator's Corner		TestTube

Add YouTube to your Google homepage

Current Location: Japan Show locations

Godowsky - Passacaglia on Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony (Part 1/2)

More From: Hexameron

QuickList(0)

Featured Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

Text Comments (5) Options

Would you like to comment?

Godowsky - Passacaglia on Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony (Part 1/2)

More From: Hexameron

QuickList(0)

Related Videos

Featured Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

Text Comments (5) Options

Would you like to comment?