Koechlin's spectral pianism – A unique voice скачать в хорошем качестве

Koechlin's spectral pianism – A unique voice

Charles Koechlin (1867–1950) Les heures persanes, Op. 65 (1913–1919) X. Roses au soleil de midi [Roses in the midday sun] PianoCurio, pf Charles Koechlin was just one of many early-20th century modernists who forged a new musical path, not as an end to tonality, but as an extension of it in a "spectral" harmonic language. Koechlin's music can sound at once luminous and mysterious, transparent and hazy, of its time yet unique. Like Scriabin, he independently developed one of the most distinct tonal dialects of his era. While the harmonies in this piece (beautiful as they are) might sound foreign to anyone hearing Koechlin for the first time, the elongated melodies are quite direct and suspended over the glowing texture. In this piece, the composer depicts roses glimmering in the midday sun, an common type of subject in its time (Koechlin also contributed to the much overdone poetic image of "clair de lune"). Most of Koechlin’s piano music lives between ppp and mf, rarely calling for the instrument’s loudest dynamics. This makes the difference between 'pianissimo' and 'mezzo-piano' much more important to convey so that the music retains dynamic contrast and never sounds flat. Expression markings like “tranquil,” “sweet,” and “luminous” give a clear idea of Koechlin’s poetic inspirations and musical intentions. Note the exposed parallel 5ths at 01:49, a common feature of Koechlin's style, as well as their near constant appearance in the harmonic texture. While Koechlin was by no means the only composer of his era exploring the sonorities of parallel 5ths (Debussy's Sunken Cathedral Prelude is just one famous reference), the bare presentation of them here is more unique to his style.