Leoš Janáček. - Sinfonietta

 Janáček

 

Sinfonietta

 

Fanfares of the Sinfonietta, Janáček's autograph score

 

The Sinfonietta (subtitled “Military Sinfonietta” or “Sokol Festival”) is a very expressive and festive, late work for large orchestra (of which 25 are brass players) by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. It is dedicated “To the Czechoslovak Armed Forces” and Janáček said it was intended to express “contemporary free man, his spiritual beauty and joy, his strength, courage and determination to fight for victory.” It started by Janáček listening to a brass band, becoming inspired to write some fanfares of his own. When the organisers of the Sokol Gymnastic Festival approached him for a commission, he developed the material into the Sinfonietta. He later dropped the word military. The first performance was in Prague on 26 June 1926 under Václav Talich. Typical performance duration is 20–25 minutes.==============================================

 

Structure

The piece is in five movements, all of which have descriptive subtitles:

• I. Allegretto — Allegro maestoso (Fanfare)
• II. Andante — Allegretto (The Castle, Brno)
• III. Moderato (The Queen's Monastery, Brno)
• IV. Allegretto (The Street Leading to the Castle)
• V. Andante con moto (The Town Hall, Brno)

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The work is typical of Janáček's tight construction, the material of each movement deriving from the opening motif. It features several variants based on Janáček's original fanfare. The first movement is scored only for brass and percussion. The second movement begins with a rapid ostinato from the wind, but later has a more lyrical episode. The third begins quietly in the strings, but is interrupted by a stern figure in the trombones, leading to another fast dance-like passage. In the fourth movement, Janáček celebrates the newly liberated Czechoslovakia with a joyous trumpet fanfare. The finale begins in the key of E-flat minor with a calm retrograde version of the opening melody. However, this quickly moves into a triumphant finale, the return of the opening fanfare decorated with swirling figures in the strings and wind.

Arrangements

The work was transcribed for symphonic wind ensemble by Don Patterson in 1994. This work was also used by the progressive rock band "Emerson, Lake and Palmer" for their piece entitled "Knife Edge"

 

Janáček's Sinfonietta is referenced a number of times in Haruki Murakami's novel 1Q84.

작곡가로서 야나체크의 창작력은 1926년에 작곡한 〈신포니에타(Sinfonietta JW VI―18)〉에서 절정에 이른다. 일본 작가 무라카미 하루키의 소설 《1Q84》에 등장해 화제가 되기도 했던 이 곡은 체코의 피세크 공원에서 연주하는 군악대의 소리를 듣고 영감을 받아 작곡한 것이다. 독창적인 사운드, 강력한 음악 언어, 풍부한 감정이 담긴 곡으로 20세기에 쓰인 가장 뛰어난 오케스트라 작품 중 하나로 꼽힌다. 금관악기와 타악기를 포함한 통상적인 관현악단 외에 트럼펫 아홉 대와 테너 튜바, 베이스 트럼펫 각 두 대씩으로 구성된 브라스 밴드를 따로 편성해 1악장과 5악장에 참여하도록 한 것이 특이하다.[음악사를 움직인 100인 - 발췌]