Larry Sitsky: Sharagan: Fantasia No 5 (1984) - Allegrissimo, molto ritmico

Abstract

"When Sitsky wrote Sharagan he had become very interested in Am1enian folk music and 'sharagan' is in fact an Armenian word meaning 'ancient song'. The highly melodic character of the music and the debt to Armenian folk music are the two dominant features of this composition. Although written in four movements, Sharagan is very loosely constructed and Sitsky has avoided giving it a label such as 'Sonata'. Like his other Fantasias, this work is highly rhapsodic and improvisatory in character. The first movement concentrates on the dark, low register of the piano and .the composer has stated in the score that it is to be played 'majestically, with much freedom, occasionally erupting into violence'. The music commence in a brooding manner with a very free melody in the right hand moving initially within a rather limited range, hovering around the notes F and C. This melody is punctuated by a drone-like chord using the interval of a diminished fifth (see Figure 67). The melody gradually takes on a wider curve still, using Das a support in the left hand either as a single note, arpeggiated cluster (D, E, F, G) or as a chord (D, A flat, D).The material used in the third melodic statement (see Figure 68) is repeated twice more during the movement and in between its first and second statements Sitsky has inserted some additional patterns which move within a small range and hover again around certain notes. Following the second presentation of the music illustrated in Figure 68, a rather lengthy section emerges, devoted to brilliant and rhapsodic statements and elaborations on what has been heard thus far. The figurations shown in Figure 69 are repeated (with some extensions and alterations) a further three times before a gradual return (over rumbles in the bass punctuated by a low D octave) to the idea and texture heard in tl:ie opening. The conclusion restates a large amount of material from the first part of the movement and ends quietly. The composer has written the second movement in a strict 4/4 time throughout with the left hand unrelentingly marking the beat. The pattern presented in the opening bar occurs frequently throughout the movement and heralds the start of more improvisations and elaborations in the right hand above the constantly moving crotchet octave bass. Although the left hand pattern commences each time with C sharp, E, G sharp, B, it changes thereafter and continues for an irregular number of bars during its first five presentations before some exact repetition is evident. Figure 70 shows the opening of the movement while Figure 71 represents a portion of the fourth appearance of the opening patterns. Although the bass patterns for numbers 6, 7 and 8 are the same as for 1, 2 and 3 respectively, the right hand elaborations continue to differ. Much use is made of the high treble region and towards the end of the movement, after a section marked 'ff, triumphantly', the energy built up gradually subsides ending pppp. Sitsky has marked the third movement Cantabile, espressivo, con moto misterioso. Its slow and decidedly remote character is brought about by the spacmg between hands which is, at times, extremely wide and by the inclusion of textures written on three staves. In the first section, both hands play note against note using a figuration in con. trary motion, with the fir t note of most of the.groupings forming the melody (see Figure 72). This melody moves within a limited range while the accompanying notes are more widely paced. The interval between the hands at the commencement is that of the diminished fifth. The melodic flow is momentarily interrupted and recommenced by two chords in which the diminished fifth is again apparent. This melodic interruption occurs a further three times before the texture of the music begins to change. The note against note technique gives way to a brief chordal passage which commences with the two chords mentioned above, an arpeggio-like figure moving from the bottom to the top of the keyboard, and then a passage in which the right hand uses the opening ideas (but now the figurations move in the opposite direction) accompanied by a melody in octaves (see Figure 73). The brief chordal passage alluded to previously now assumes more importance and the two stave representation gives way to a very tranquil passage written on three staves. This three layered texture results in some delicate and . colourful sonorities (see Figure 74). The-music moves back to two staves and material that has been presented before is quoted again, namely, the arpeggio-like figure and the passage which opened the movement. The percussive fourth movement's chief characteristic is the use of asymmetric beats (see Figure 75). It is marked presto and after non-stop repeated notes ends in a sweeping descending gesture. A large part of the material heard is repeated an octave higher with some differences in the asymmetric groupings. Sitsky has used a shorthand notation for the repeated notes in the interest of visual clarity." -- Wendy Penny Show more