Composer

:

Vsevolod Zaderatsky

Genre

:

Keyboard

Compose Date

:

1937-1939

Average_duration

:

8:15

Movement_count

:

2

Movement ....

Vsevolod Zaderatsky's Prelude and Fugue No. 4 for piano in E minor was composed in 1937 while the composer was serving a 10-year sentence in a Soviet labor camp. The piece was premiered in 1979, over 40 years after its composition, by pianist Maria Yudina. The Prelude is marked "Andante con moto" and begins with a melancholic melody in the right hand accompanied by a simple arpeggiated pattern in the left hand. The melody is then repeated with added ornamentation and a more complex left-hand accompaniment. The middle section of the Prelude features a more agitated and dissonant melody before returning to the original theme. The Fugue is marked "Allegro moderato" and begins with a subject in the right hand that is then imitated in the left hand. The subject is then developed and expanded upon throughout the piece, with episodes featuring chromaticism and rhythmic variation. The Fugue reaches a climax with a virtuosic passage before returning to the original subject and concluding with a final cadence. Zaderatsky's Prelude and Fugue No. 4 showcases his mastery of counterpoint and his ability to create complex and emotionally expressive music despite the difficult circumstances in which it was composed. The piece is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of music to transcend even the most oppressive conditions.

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