Tippett Sonata no4 (1983/4): score + audio

Описание: Michael Tippett - Sonata no4 (1983/4)

I. minim pulse medium slow; crotchet pulse medium fast 0:04
II. crotchet pulse medium fast 5:58
III. slow crotchet pulse 9:32
IV. fast 18:50
V. crotchet pulse slow 25:10

Thomas Ang, piano

Recording from a live performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, UK, January 2014.

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Tippett's last sonata is a work in five movements that are otherwise, with the exception of very calculated quotations, unrelated - the construction overall is of five bagatelles, with the stated aim of breaking tradition (there are not many five-movement sonatas in the literature).

The first movement lays out a very audible structure of four different sets of materials: bell sounds, a pounding march, a chorale, and tinking scherzando textures. The second is a lilting dance built over a continually augmenting ground bass.

The third movement quotes the opening of his 4th symphony (1976/7) but diverges immediately, giving way to free counterpoint in three parts. The central section of the movement (and thus the entire piece) is an immense quintuple repetition of a "hammered" idea and rich treble polychords. The movement then unwinds itself in reverse, ending with the opening A major-minor harmony.

The fourth movement is a crazy whirlwind dance, almost an etude in irregular rhythms. A slow central section is built on canons but technical difficulties abound in this short, concentrated piece.

The finale proceeds in five sections, with the ending echoing the opening - and the ending of the 4th section imitating the end of the 4th movement; this is Tippett's only nod towards a cyclic form.