Concertos for two keyboards by A. Soler in the aspect of performing interpretation.
Mutantur tempora et nos mutamur in illis… The times change and we are changing with them… The Spanish composer Antonio Soler (Padre Soler; 1729–1783) is famous by his sonatas for Harpsichord (more than 100). But autor’s Concertos are not well-known in the Ukrainian art of Music (theory or performance). Soler wrote six Concertos for two Keyboards: ¹ 1 C-dur, ¹ 2 a-moll, ¹ 3 G‑dur, ¹ 4 F‑dur, ¹ 5 A-dur, ¹ 6 D‑dur. But in free access there are only the notes of first four Concertos, in which the analytical observations are based. These music works are very original. Several styles combine in this Concertos: Baroque, Rococo, Classic and even some elements from Romantic epoch. Modern pianists, who want to play this music, will decide a few of import-ant problems. The artistic decision will form the “performing strategies” (idea by O. Pupina), which stipulates for individual choice of expressive means in order to create the special sound model of the music text. The historical distance is the important performing factor; it affects for different levels of the play: emotional, intellectual, meaningful, aesthetic, virtuoso and others. The first question is tied with the specific of genre. The Concertos by A. Soler was showing the autor’s search of this genre. Composer use an untypical composi-tion: here is no orchestra, it is a piano duet. By the way, the famous German compos-er I. S. Bach used the same composition in his Second Concerto for two Keyboards with orchestra (C-dur), where is only clavier duet in the second part (without orches-tra). The Concertos by A. Soler demonstrate the author’s model of the composition. All works (except the Concerto ¹ 2) have two parts: the first part is writing in old sonatas form; Finals (Minuet) are in the form of rigorous variations.The principle of competition (from Lat. concerto– compete) realizes in the Concertos by A. Soler owing to the form of the piano-duet playing. The com-poser often uses own typical means, among them are different roll-calls, repeti-tions, answers-imitations. This creates the double-effect. On the one hand it is the demonstration of the play of two musicians as Homo ludens; on the other hand it makes the new artistic whole as original musical “patchwork”. It is significant that A. Soler uses the old technique of hoguetus. It is giving the effect of an interrupt and a stammerer rendition. The musical competition is conditioned by a parity in technical and artistic aspects of Primoand Secondopiano parts. It manifest itself in a transference the initial misical theme (Main or Secondary) from one piano part to another in turn. There are the examples. In first episodes of Concertos ¹¹ 1, 3 the Primo piano part opens the introduction of the Main theme, but the Secondo – begins the Sec-ondary theme. In the Concerto ¹ 2 the composer uses the opposite method: the Main theme is in the Secondo piano part (a first time), but the Secondary is in the Primo. The another decision A. Soler offers in the Concerto ¹ 4. Here all of the main themes of the first episod are in the Primo piano part and the Secondo begins of play the Theme and Variations ¹¹ 1–2 in the Final. However, the composer entrusts all quasi-cadenza of Concertos to Primo piano part. For example, in the Concerto ¹ 2: the second episod – tt. 25–37, 90–100; and the Trio in the Final; in the Concerto ¹ 3 it is the Fourth Variation and in the Concerto ¹ 4 – the Third Variation. The orientation to the type of instrument is very important because it forms the choice of necessary sound-image. What can the pianists choose? It may be Organ, Harpsichord or Piano. This choice determines the expressive means. The idea of concertos competition implements through a clavier texture in tipes of dialog, among them competition, roll-call, question-answer, agreement, pickup. The Harpsichord (or Organ) orientation testifies about an authentic styleof the performing interpretation. One of the features of this authentic type is coauthor-ship when the player have the right to create ornamented versions, “doubles” of the baroque composer’s text (it is some idea by A. Krasnoskulov). It is possible to divide the piano interpretation of Soler’s Concertos into two trends: stylingor instrumental adaptation. For styling interpretation, the typical expressive means will be as an axample the absence or minimizing of piano pedal, the keenness of the touch, the specificity of articulation, transcript of melismas, terratest dynamics, the severity metric pulsation and other. The instrumental adaptation has a purpose to use the peculiar means of a modern piano. Among them there are own sound palette, the specificity of touch, the scale at large of dynamical degrees, spe-cial agogik with elements of improvisation, the harmony-different pedal, the vocal ornament, timbres of symphony orchestra and many others things. So, the answer of the question “What the instrument may I choose?” forms the “sound image” (the definition by I. Suchlenko). New lines arise in the interpretation of this music because it unites different styles. And each of the styles (Baroque, Rococo, Classic and Romantic ones) may be emphasize by performer. Baroque style is discovered in the composer’s inven-tion, the originality of misical thinking, the craving for fantasy, which appear in special methods of the game, the playing with rhythmical structures, registries, sound colors, stereo effects, quasi-fugato and others. Rococo (Gallant style) an-nounces itself by means of clearness and simpleness in musical themes, special principles of it’s development, the unique colours of sonority with notes of a sen-timental shape. Classic style includes square structures of musical fragments, it uses the third double of melodic lines, the “Marquis” and “Albert” basses in the accompaniment, the famous move of a French horn. Some elements of the coming Romantic style may be showed in the peculiarity of Soler’s harmonic thinking, which appears in tonal modulations, sound colours, national folk melodies and the psychologizing artistic images. Soler’s Concertos give a chance performers to realize many different types of interpretation, which have to based on the multilevel dialog of art.