Sergei Lyapunov - Piano Sonata
Pianist: Karl-Andreas Kolly
0:00 - Allegro appasionato
4:05 - Un poco menu mosso
9:35 - Andante sonstenuto e molto espressivo
17:49 - Allegro Vivo
This sonata is easily one of Lyapunov's greatest achievements. To begin with, it is indebted to Liszt's great B-Minor sonata. Lyapunov's emulation of Liszt is well documented, himself even claiming to be "creatively enslaved" by Liszt. This sonata does far more than simply emulate legendary B-Minor sonata, however. What it lacks in originality of form, it makes up for in its balance of virtuosity and sensitivity. One can also find influences from Balakirev (with whom Lyapunov worked and studied), Chopin, and Wagner.
Most people associate Lyapunov with the completion of Liszt's transcendental etudes, but this sonata shows a more subdued approach. It begins by modestly introducing the main theme, but it picks up steam and accelerates its way to some virtuoso passages which are then hushed away quite rapidly thereafter (not to say that the rest of the material is technically easy). This pattern of virtuoso passages rearing their heads only to be plunged back into submission continues throughout the sonata until the very end when the sonata's patience with itself is rewarded in some gorgeous, gleaming flair (23:35 for example).
The other, more central pillar of this sonata is the subdued sensitivity that can rarely be found outside of Schubert. Everything marked 'espressivo' is a heart-melting joy. The andante section starting at 9:38 is one of the rare moments of music that expresses something with sound where words are useless. This section is the crown jewel of the sonata, the main theme of which is the Russian Orthodox Chant "Assistant and Patron" (Pomoshchnik i Pokrovitel / Помощник и Покровитель - A performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbtlSuNJ_rY ). Lyapunov himself was dissatisfied with its use and declared it "...the only fault I find" in a letter to Balakirev, who replied suggesting a rewrite. Other critics found the treatment of the theme in this section to be "uninteresting." Despite the criticism, Lyapunov refused to rewrite it, and thank God he didn't. In the story of the sonata, this section paints the the most gorgeous, human, and oppressively evocative picture.
There is also a good amount of really catchy material in this sonata that will get stuck in your head (the scherzando section comes to mind).
A brief note regarding the performance. There are a few recordings of this sonata on YouTube with one being on this channel. This performance by Karl-Andreas Kolly is the best that I have come across. Most performances of this sonata, I have found, are either a tad too sterile or too steely. This performance can be more subtle in character than others, but Kolly knows when to give the material more delicate attention or really let his technique off the handle. The result is a fantastically balanced performance that does this sonata justice.
IMSLP: https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Lyapunov,_Sergey
Kolly: http://www.karl-andreaskolly.ch/