Dear 24 Keys Folk,
What did you think of No. 16? As a passionate lover of Prokoviev, I adored it.
Today’s, No. 17, is a curious thing. I’ll leave it to y’all to comment on it, if anyone is motivated to do so.
Shostakovich is always interesting and provocative, even if I’m not enamored.
I’m still enjoying Steven and Grace’s conversation regarding numbers 13 and 14. I want to hear Steven’s performance of 14, and I constantly ruminate upon Shostakovich’s tonicity and chromaticism. Regardless of the piece, and how I feel about it, I’m always taken with how he gets back to the tonic.
Cheers, Helen
GRACE 3/17: 17 was one of the few that I’ve felt compelled to attempt several times. The mixed meter is a welcome deviation from the “trite” waltz idea he brings up in the first few measures. I definitely didn’t play with the tempo as much as Monika Palsauskaite did. The ending of the piece felt like he was toying with it a little. Pulling in a couple of different directions before settling.
HELEN 3/17: Yes, Grace, agreed. The mark of a master is the ability to walk right up to trite, and then sidestep deftly to charm and substance. I listened to both Palsauskaite and Cherny: they both take significant liberties which, given Shostakovich’s ample tempo and dynamic markings in 17, are to be expected. They massage the piece into a more easily understood entity.