Sergei Bortkiewicz - Lamentations and Consolations op 17 (Somero)
Музыка
Sergiusz Bortkiewicz - Lamenty i pociechy
Published in 1914
Pianist - Jouni Somero
0:00 - I. Lamentation
5:34 - II. Consolation
10:13 - III. Lamentation
14:25 - IV. Consolation
20:03 - V. Lamentation (Homesick)
24:09 - VI. Consolation
27:47 - VII. Lamentation
30:34 - VIII. Consolation
Biography
Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952) was born into a Polish noble family in Kharkov which was then a part of the Russian Empire. His love for music and his talent was given to him by his mother, Sofia, who was a co-founder of the Kharkov school of music [1]. Growing up, he received a humanities education as well as a musical one, and he stopped just short of receiving a doctorate in Law to focus on music [1].
His musical education took place at home, then in St. Petersburg under Anatoly Lyadov and Karl von Arek, and finally in Leipzig under Alfred Reisenauer and Salomon Jadassohn. From 1904 to 1914, he lived in Berlin to focus on composing.
Unfortunately, life in the 20th Century would prove exceedingly complicated and perilous for Bortkiewicz. After the beginning of the First World War, Bortkiewicz was deported back to Russia, where just shortly afterwards, the Bolsheviks would seize power. Communists had occupied his family's estate at Artemovka, so they were only able to move back once the White Army had taken the territory. The respite was short, as the Bolsheviks would retake Kharkov soon after. Almost everything from the estate had been looted anyways, and his mother and sister, Vera, would soon die of Typhus.
Having very little left, Bortkiewicz did the sensible thing and escaped via Yalta to Istanbul, where he began impressing the locals and the many ambassadors at the embassies. The Yugoslav ambassador, Natalie Chaponitsch, arranged for Borkiewicz and his wife to obtain Yugoslav visas, moving to Belgrade at the first opportunity. For a while, the Bortkiewicz family considered staying permanently in Jugoslavia, but they decided against it and decided to wait to get Austrian visas instead [2].
Bortkiewicz was finally able to settle in Vienna and was given Austrian Citizenship. He lived there for five years only to move back to Germany whence he was cast out again by the Nazis, which was a disaster for his musical career. The Nazis began deleting his name from programmes, and at the outbreak of World War 2, they destroyed many of his scores. He returned to Vienna to stay, being kept afloat by his friend Hugo Von Dalen, thanks to whom, we still have most of Bortkiewicz's scores.
Lamentations and Consolations
Each lamentation creates a pensive, meditative, or even a restless mood which is then counteracted by a warmer consolation. The consolations are
quieter and more lyrical. They each sing a heartfelt song that can vary between extreme subtlety and unrestrained emotionalism. Overall, we see a more balanced, measured, and impressionistic writing style compared to the rest of Bortkiewicz's output. He follows Liszt's lead and directs himself inward to venture into his interior life to pull out these condensed reflections of life. Musically, Bortkiewicz may never achieve the profundity that Liszt captures in his "Poetic and Religious Harmonies," but the extreme personal effort that such writing requires brings the inner life into the concert hall in genuine way.
Bibliography:
[1] A. Kościelak-Nadolska, Życie i twórczość Sergiusza Bortkiewicza (1877-1952), cz. I - Sylwetka artysty,. „Notes Muzyczny”, nr 1 (5) 2016
The rest of the biographical info comes from Wikipedia
Пікірлер: 56
Bortkiewicz, along with many many other 20th century composers should be given more serious attention in the musical community today. He ranks, in my humble opinion, up there with the greats (Liszt, Chopin, Sibelius, Ravel, Debussy, etc...) along with Sergei Lyapunov, Mikhail Glinka, Arthur Louri, Alexander Tiniakov, Moritz Moszkawski, Mily Balakirev, Felix Dreyschock, Karol Szymanowski, Frank Bridge, Florent Schmitt, Einojuhani Rautavaara, I'm missing other i know.... I am indebted to these great composers!!! A pure treasure trove of adventure for the curious.
The "inner life" written in the above biography of this composer is exactly what I experience listening to these lamenations and consolations. The pianist taking his time with the music is wonderful. I love the silence between the notes. Just beautiful!
17:50 that's unbelievably beautiful
In this music there floats a kind of mist suitable for dreams and gentle drifts. A climate of rediscovered peace that we sometimes feel without knowing exactly why during certain summer nights! these artists build a discourse of interiority, of breathing, which knows how to make room for silence🕊
Lamentations and Consolations op 17: 00:03 First Lamentation 05:36 First Consolation 10:14 Second Lamentation 14:25 Second Consolation 20:03 Third Lamentation 24:09 Third Consolation 27:47 Fourth Lamentation 30:34 Fourth Consolation
You can really hear the influences of Liszt, Chopin, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff in these pieces
@alcyonecrucis
Жыл бұрын
I dunno, I would rather not try to hear others in his art
@mrsnegy6001
Жыл бұрын
@@alcyonecrucis It is not the matter of "trying". Those resemblances just come when you listen. There is nothing wrong with that -- as long as they don't prevail.
@IEEMAZ_Convoluted_14.2.8.5
Жыл бұрын
Yea
@IEEMAZ_Convoluted_14.2.8.5
Жыл бұрын
@@alcyonecrucis wdym
@CristianRodriguez-it7il
10 ай бұрын
nah
His Lamentations are superior to his Consolations, with his frequent use of the gorgeously tragic dominant minor elevenths and thirteenths! Nos. 3 and 7 in particular are my personal favorites!
I'VE WANTED THESE ON KZread FOR SO LONG. i gasped when i saw this. thank you
Thank you for the beauty of this music. 🌷🌷🌷 (Netherlands)
6:29 So smooth ♥️
was just looking for a score video of this recently. Thank you so much for the upload! you got a new sub
@NormalPianist
2 жыл бұрын
A good place to be :)
1:15 my favorite chord!!
The 7th piece is a bomb
@brozors
Жыл бұрын
when I heard that piece I was like "bravo!" at the end
@kaleidoscopio5
Жыл бұрын
@@brozors 😀👏👏👏
very nice and special...i feel warmhearted music and happiness...
17:50 so beautiful🥰🥰
@SCRIABINIST
2 жыл бұрын
Reminds me of mid period Debussy
Grande!!
Amazing composition🎶✨💐
love the Homesick lamentation
Beautifully written
👏😊
La recuerdo por el SI SOSTENIDO. ,más tarde la sigo escuchando es muy largo. 😊
Nice.
can someone explain the vibrato in bar 2 of the first piece, how?
24:09 Borodin Nocturne
Godly
Vibrato
29:58
He chose this profession?
I wonder what bortkiewicz the Ukrainian composer would think of the war now. Probably compose a revolutionary etude like chopin did
@user-bs9pk3lw6q
Жыл бұрын
I think, that he is more russian composer, than ukrainian
@ciararespect4296
Жыл бұрын
@@user-bs9pk3lw6q yes a bit complex. Says he was Russian Austrian born but born in Ukraine kharkiv which was then the Russian empire ? Says his music and heart had ukraine flavor Still I think it has same flavor as the Russian romantic composers like rachmaninoff glinka lyapunov scriabin etc
@arlettehellemans2117
Жыл бұрын
That proves that Ukraïne and Russia shouldn't be separated
@whatwillwesee
Жыл бұрын
@@arlettehellemans2117 🤮
@arielwertlen6709
Жыл бұрын
The history of the region is very complex, and it doesn’t make sense to try introduce modern national discourse back to that time. You would need to consider the very particular culture of Polish nobility, the partition of Poland at that time, the effects of the Polish-Lithuanian Common Wealth in the demographics of the region and then finally national sentiments across different social classes. I don’t think it’s appropriate to use this man’s art and his life’s misfortune for one’s own political biases and musings.
when you are tired of all this artificial shit from Chopin, Rachmaninov and Scriabin, come to Bortkiewicz and you will find expression of real feelings, which come from heart and soul
@calvinmendoza7911
Жыл бұрын
You’ve got to be joking
@andreassorg7294
Жыл бұрын
@@calvinmendoza7911 Bingo
@calvinmendoza7911
Жыл бұрын
@@andreassorg7294 Thank god
@ashthecoolestguyintown
Жыл бұрын
@@andreassorg7294I actually believed you were one of the people who really thought that. All those composers can make you feel something with their music, but I believe Bortkiewicz’s music also can. The dissonance in some parts adds to it the emotion, and that’s the reason why I’m not a big fan of Mozart, haha.
@andreassorg7294
Жыл бұрын
@@ashthecoolestguyintown Bort. can, but at a very boring level. I would be shamed about such feelings