Larry Sitsky: Twelve Mystical Preludes (after the Nuctermeron of Appollonius of Tyana) (1973) - 10th hour

Abstract

"Larry Sitsky's Twelve Mystical Preludes are among the most important works for solo piano by Australian composers. Sitsky' s musical language is adapted from that of the so-called Second Viennese School of composers, especially from the works of Alban Berg. However, this language is nothing more than a basis for Sitsky's quite individual thought which, in the case of these preludes, derives from the composer's own performance style as a concert pianist. For this rea')on it is possible to hear echoes of the Romantic and post-Romantic Russian piano styles in these preludes, the influence of Scriabin being particularly strong. Each of the twelve preludes is short and aphoristic. Even the gestures contained within each prelude are brief and seemingly spasmodic. Nonetheless, the strong thematic integration of the whole cycle gives the impression of one large work. The succession of preludes from start to finish seems logical owing to the way in which the basic material is gradually developed and transformed. Some preludes are sonorous and turbulent (such as the first and fifth), others are brittle-textured and remote (such as the third and ninth), while the fourth, eighth and eleventh preludes - all dominated by a repeated C sharp - are of a calm, meditative nature. There is a most imaginative use of the middle pedal throughout the cycle. In particular, the massive overtone effects of the first and last preludes are striking. This work is one of a number of Sitsky' s large scale compositions for piano solo. The composer himself has acknowledged a preference for orchestral, vocal and operatic music. It may be that Sitsky, who thinks naturally in terms of the orchestra and the voice, feels a little restricted by the limitations of the piano. This would accouiit for the relative scarcity of piano solo works in his output. Nonetheless, in these preludes, he has treated the piano in a colourful way which is much inspired by his feeling for the orchestra. At the same time, he has produced a work worthy of his mastery in matters of musical structure and architecture." -- Robert Zocchi Show more