With the exception of a piano quintet, the only chamber music that Medtner composed was for violin and piano. Most of his compositional energy was spent on solo piano works and songs. He didn't write much for it, but the violin and piano were an ideal combination for him. He could write lyrical melodies for the violin, but also use it as a new texture to contrast the piano in his polyphonic writing. The three Nocturnes, Op. 16, represent this best. They are mainly songlike and poetic, yet are more active than a nocturne is ...
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With the exception of a piano quintet, the only chamber music that Medtner composed was for violin and piano. Most of his compositional energy was spent on solo piano works and songs. He didn't write much for it, but the violin and piano were an ideal combination for him. He could write lyrical melodies for the violin, but also use it as a new texture to contrast the piano in his polyphonic writing. The three Nocturnes, Op. 16, represent this best. They are mainly songlike and poetic, yet are more active than a nocturne is usually expected to be, almost narrative in a way. Each is overcast by pessimism or regret, with the last one showing a little hopefulness as well. The Sonata No. 3 and Heifetz's arrangement of one of the piano Fairy Tales are even more narrative, firmly rooted in the Romantic ideal, although the sonata is highly structured. The way Medtner can manipulate motives so intricately and yet create moods that could be almost as complex and tell a good story is the key to his style. There...
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