Kapustin, Jazz Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 53, No. 10

Описание: Kapustin, Jazz Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 53, No. 10.

This feisty little bugger of a jazz prelude rocks. While it’s not one of Kapustin’s most difficult pieces, its bouncy staccato chordal figures make it a challenge to practice for more than half an hour at a time as they lead to a certain amount of dizziness. A standout feature is the prelude’s novel 3/2 time signature. Without knowing the time signature, one would likely gather that the piece is composed in a standard 2/4, nodding to a familiar 4 x 2/4 phrase structure though surprisingly truncated into 3 measures, and this short-circuiting contributing along with the heavy syncopation to the constant rhythmic jarring that is characteristic of the piece. Instead, Kapustin combines 3 conventional measures of 2/4 into a single long measure of 3/2, and the long measure sets up for him a sonic canvas allowing him to play freely with a number of elements, including the chromatic chordal figures loosely inscribed within the relative major that comprise the “B” music.

Kapustin has said that, in addition to the full history of jazz, he was also influenced by rock music of the 1960s and 1970s. This piece is one in which that influence is most palpable, I think.