Ahh, just like the good ol' days, when Czechoslovakia was invaded by Russia back in the '70's!
I'm choosing as my accompaniment to this spectacle of naked aggression the mammoth Prokofiev Sixth Sonata, played by Evgeny "Genya" Kissin from the RCA 2-CD Carnegie Hall Debut Concert.
This 4-movement sonata is referred to as the first of three "war sonatas, although, according to Kissin, this subtitle is misleading.
"The Sixth Sonata was written in 1939, before the war, so the experience Prokofiev portrays is that of the period of Stalinist repression, the "cult of personality. He truly captures this in the bitter, pompous opening theme of the first movement, a sort of "Stalin leitmotif," which returns in the finale. The second movement is a parody of a military march, full of Prokofiev's veiled humor, sarcasm, and mischief. In the third movement Prokofiev proves himself Rachmaninoff's equal in his ability to "sing the Russian nature" with irresistible lyricism, and the middle section evokes the spirit of old Russian legends. The finale is truly a "big sarcasm," and in the middle section Prokofiev recalls the "Stalin leitmotif," giving it a completely different, ominous character, and inserting additional thematic material to create a premonition of impending doom."
The descending chords at the end, are, indeed, sinister sounding. I love this part. The "Stalin leitmotif" is just that: more of a fragment than a theme. Upon listening in a half-asleep state, as I often end-up in, the motif seems to be like a claw, or hook. Its simple descending shape of three notes is like a claw taking something away. I often have these kinds of irrational associations when I listen. A claw seems to be an appropriate symbol, the claw of Putin's brute force taking away the freedom of the Ukraine.
I'm choosing as my accompaniment to this spectacle of naked aggression the mammoth Prokofiev Sixth Sonata, played by Evgeny "Genya" Kissin from the RCA 2-CD Carnegie Hall Debut Concert.
This 4-movement sonata is referred to as the first of three "war sonatas, although, according to Kissin, this subtitle is misleading.
"The Sixth Sonata was written in 1939, before the war, so the experience Prokofiev portrays is that of the period of Stalinist repression, the "cult of personality. He truly captures this in the bitter, pompous opening theme of the first movement, a sort of "Stalin leitmotif," which returns in the finale. The second movement is a parody of a military march, full of Prokofiev's veiled humor, sarcasm, and mischief. In the third movement Prokofiev proves himself Rachmaninoff's equal in his ability to "sing the Russian nature" with irresistible lyricism, and the middle section evokes the spirit of old Russian legends. The finale is truly a "big sarcasm," and in the middle section Prokofiev recalls the "Stalin leitmotif," giving it a completely different, ominous character, and inserting additional thematic material to create a premonition of impending doom."
The descending chords at the end, are, indeed, sinister sounding. I love this part. The "Stalin leitmotif" is just that: more of a fragment than a theme. Upon listening in a half-asleep state, as I often end-up in, the motif seems to be like a claw, or hook. Its simple descending shape of three notes is like a claw taking something away. I often have these kinds of irrational associations when I listen. A claw seems to be an appropriate symbol, the claw of Putin's brute force taking away the freedom of the Ukraine.