Okumura: Piano Sonata No.1 (1949) 1st mov.

Описание: Hajime Okumura(1925-1994) was a Japanese composer in the post-war era. After completing his study in Tokyo University of the Arts under Akira Ifukube, he wrote the numerous film score, works for wind band, and pieces of piano. His compositional style is comparatively conservative but light and funny. He is famous of his transcriptions of Japanese folk tune (Especially, 'Otemoyan' was played by the virtuoso pianist Cherkassky).

He entered Tokyo Musical School (Musical department of Tokyo univ. of Arts in the later days), but in 1944 when the war situation got worse he was enrolled in Toyama Military School in Tokyo and played oboe and basson at the military band. Soon after the end of the war, he again entered Musical School.

Piano Sonata No.1 in three movements may be his first work after his recovery from loss of the war. He himself didn't go to war, but he was shocked to disasters and got into slump (possibly PTSD).

1st mov (Allegro). is in almost traditional sonata style. The first theme has a galopping sound pattern (I guess it is because many military horses were kept in Toyama Military School). The second theme is elegic, uneasy (I recall the second theme of 1st mov. of pre-war Piano Sonata No.2 by Saburo Moroi). The exposition is a variation of the first theme. It has two section separated by an elevating motif in the elevating first theme and there both themes are played. The recaptulation of the second theme procede that of the first which ends with unison in accord in FFF.

His teacher Akira Ifukube praised him a lot when he completed it in 1949. We can see he is strongly influenced by Prokofiev (he himself calls this sonata "War Sonata").

奥村一　ピアノ・ソナタ第1番第1楽章(1949)