Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Otar Taktakishvili's Flute Sonata

The second movement, the Aria, begins softly with a simple piano accompaniment part. There are few non-chord tones and, personally, I found it somewhat boring to listen to, maybe because the chord progressions were all relatively basic. A few dissonant chords come from the piano during a short crescendo before it resolves back to being soft like the very beginning of the movement. After a brief pause in both the flute and piano parts, the piece continues on with the previous theme. About halfway through the piece, there is a sudden change in the mood because for the first time there very noticably harsh dissonances (much more than the slight ones earlier) particularly in the piano part but accented by the flutist. This also appears to be the most complex piano part up to this point in the movement, which adds even more depth to this major turning point. However, this change lasts for only about 30 seconds before returning to the sweeter-sounding theme that was initially introduced. This then crescendos into a progression of tension-building chords, which then resolve and drop down to piano for the end of the movement.

3 comments:

Scott said...

Do you find this movement more satisfying to perform than listen to? And did the movement become less boring with the change in mood and complexity?

Anonymous said...

I am a junior Music Education major this year and am performing the entire Taktakishvili Sonata for my flute recital in February. The first and third movements are much more energetic than the second, which makes the second movement incredibly peaceful and sensitive when the Sonata is heard in full. I have performed the second movement in a piano studio class, a flute studio class, and for all of the music faculty at my university. After playing it for so many people, I have certainly received a number of comments, but not one person said it was boring. The Aria is slower, yes, is more traditional in chord progressions, yes, but it is also beautiful in its simplicity.

Imre Rolleman said...

This Sonata of Taktakishivil is a very great piece, and, in my opinion, especially the second movement. It is a pretty 'easy' part if you just look at the notes, but it is a wonderful 'job' to keep the tension in building up the theme. It is never just 'smooth' or otherwise boring. You can or should always feel the tension of the 'easy' chords of the piano. building up towards the third register at the end of the 2e part should be a breathtaking moment. (also literally)
And this slow movement in the of the energetic 1th hand 3th part is a very welcome 'restpoint'

Excuses for my english.. hope it is a nice recommondation for the piece.