Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2017 A Piano Sonata and 24 Preludes for Piano Old Forms in the New Context Tatiana Gorbunova Follow this and additional works at the DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC A PIANO SONATA AND 24 PRELUDES FOR PIANO OLD FORMS IN THE NEW CONTEXT By TATIANA GORBUNOVA A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music 2017 Tatiana Gorbunova defended this treatise on April 12, 2017. The members of the supervisory committee were: Read Gainsford Professor Directing Treatise Clifton Callender University Representative David Kalhous Committee Member Diana Dumlavwalla Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and Certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ................................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 PART 1: LERA AUERBACH 24 PRELUDES FOR PIANO. ANALYSIS ...................................3 PART 2: BORIS TISHCHENKO PIANO SONATA OP. 114, NO. 9. ANALYSIS ....................19 CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................................34 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................35 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .........................................................................................................39 iii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 1.1: Prelude No. 6, mm. 4-5 12 Example 1.2: Prelude No. 19, mm. 15-16 12 Example 1.3: Prelude No. 1, mm. 1-6 14 Example 1.4: Claude Debussy, Prelude no. 10, Bk. 1, La Cathédrale Engloutie, mm. 1-3 14 Example 1.5: Prelude No. 4, m.3- 4 16 Example 1.6: Prelude No. 4, m. 15 17 Example 1.7: Prelude No. 7, mm. 1-3 17 Example 1.8: Prelude No. 7, mm. 7-8 17 Example 2.1: Notturne, mm. 1-8 26 Example 2.2: Notturne, mm. 33-35 26 Example 2.3: Notturne, mm. 49-51 27 Example 2.4: Pastoral, mm. 1-4 29 Example 2.5: Pastoral, mm. 22-24 29 Example 2.6: Barcarole, mm. 1-3 31 Example 2.7: Barcarole, mm. 56-58 31 Example 2.8: Barcarole, mm. 113-115 31 Example 2.9: Barcarole, mm. 171-173 32 iv ABSTRACT The treatise consists of two sections. The first section focuses on 24 Preludes for Piano by Lera Auerbach. This large-scale composition is among her most significant works. It continues the tradition of cycles of twenty-four preludes for piano written in all major and minor keys. This paper discusses the history of the genre of a prelude and analyzes Auerbach’s harmonic language, polystylism, motivic connections and pedaling. The second section of the treatise is about the Ninth Piano Sonata by Boris Tishchenko. He is a well-known composer in Russia but his music is not very often performed in the United States. The paper introduces the composer, focuses on the analysis of the texture, use of counterpoint, motivic connections, harmonic language and traditional and non-traditional treatment of the sonata form in this composition. v INTRODUCTION This treatise combines information from two lecture recitals, one of which happened in April of 2015 and the other dated April 22, 2017. The first lecture focused on selections from 24 Preludes for Piano (1998) by Lera Auerbach while the second recital is dedicated to the Ninth Piano Sonata by Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (1993). Although both recitals and lectures are based on music written by Russian modern composers, there is no intrinsic connection between them and they were not intended to be linked by any common idea. Lera Auerbach is one of the most active and prolific modern Russian composers. Her compositional output consists of orchestral, chamber, solo compositions, ballets, concerti and others. Despite her popularity in the United States and abroad, some of Auerbach’s compositions are very rarely performed. Among these are her 24 Preludes for Piano. This paper gives a short survey of the history of the keyboard prelude, discusses some elements of Auerbach’s compositional language such as harmony, polystylism, and motivic connections, points out the presence of the opposition of two contrasting elements throughout the set and analyzes the role of the pedal in performing these works. The piano music of Boris Tishchenko is rarely performed in the United States. It is possible that the complexity of his compositional language is one of the primary reasons for this. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the composer and to analyze the form, some aspects of harmony, texture and counterpoint and to point out some of the major difficulties a pianist will encounter while learning Tishchenko’s Ninth Piano Sonata. 1 Although these two papers are not connected, the author hopes that they will each help spread awareness and generate more interest in the piano music of modern Russian composers. 2 PART 1 LERA AUERBACH 24 PRELUDES FOR PIANO. ANALYSIS Lera Auerbach (b.1973) is one of the most widely performed modern Russian composers. She is the youngest composer on the roster of Hamburg’s international music publishing company, Hans Sikorski, which also publishes Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Alfred Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina. Also a virtuoso performer, Lera Auerbach continues the tradition of pianist- composers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.1 Her large-scale works, such as operas, ballets, symphonies and concertos are performed in the concert halls around the world. However, Auerbach’s solo and chamber music compositions are not as widely known and are rarely performed on the concert stage. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some aspects of her compositional language that make one of her large-scale piano works, 24 Preludes for Piano, so attractive and original. Having been praised for her maturity, depth, and talent by such well- known artists as Sofia Gubaidulina and Gidon Kremer2, she deserves more attention from performers of all levels and all ages. Lera Auerbach was born in Cheliabinsk, Russia, a city in the Urals bordering Siberia. She made her first public appearance as a pianist at the age of six. At eight years old she performed with an orchestra for the first time. At twelve she composed her first opera, which was immediately produced and presented in many parts of the Soviet Union. As the winner of several piano competitions, Lera Auerbach was invited to tour the USA in 1991. While in the US, she decided 1 “Lera Auerbach,” Sikorski Music Publishing Group, accessed August 2014, http://www.sikorski.de/media/files/1/12/190/222/225/1321/auerbach_biography.pdf 2 Christoph Flamm, “The Very Last of Soviet Émigré Composers: Lera Auerbach” (paper presented at the conference Creative Diaspora: Émigré Composers From the Former USSR, Seattle, WA, March 22-23, 2014). 3 not to return to Russia as she felt it was an opportunity to become an independent artist, which could not happen in the USSR. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano and music composition from the Juilliard School, where she studied piano with Joseph Kalichstein and composition with Milton Babbitt. She also graduated from the piano soloist program of the Hannover Hochschule für Musik. Lera Auerbach’s commissions include ballets, operas, symphonies, concertos, string quartets, and a number of other chamber and solo compositions, by such organizations as Hamburg State Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Bonn’s Beethoven International Competition, Verbier International Festival, Caramoor International Festival, Lucerne Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival among others. Auerbach’s compositions have been performed by the Tokyo String Quartet, violinist Gidon Kremer, cellists Alisa Weilerstein and David Finckel and by orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Dresden Philarmonie, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic among others. Lera Auerbach has been Artist-in-Residence with German National Radio, Bremen Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, a number of festivals in Europe and the International Johannes Brahms Foundation in Baden-Baden. As an active performer, she has appeared as solo pianist in New York’s Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and many other venues. In 2005 Auerbach was awarded the Hindemith Prize and selected as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow (1998). In 2007 she was selected as a member of the Young Global Leaders forum by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 4 She is also a writer. In 1996 Auerbach was named Poet-of-the-Year by the International Pushkin Society. She wrote 5 volumes of poetry and prose. Finally, as if that is not enough, she is also very interested in visual art (photography, sculpture, painting). 24 Preludes for Piano are among only eleven compositions written for solo piano by Auerbach. The set is very significant to the composer. In 2006 she recorded a compact disc of Dreams and Preludes with BIM records label. Ever since then she has been including at least one