incubating post

Matiegka's Op. 17 is a ton more work than Op. 16 for a couple of reasons.

First and simplest, it's a longer work, especially in the public domain IMSLP accessible form. 14 pages is a chunk, more than twice as long as the six-page score for Op. 16.

Second, as I've been listening to the Giulio Tampalini and Massimo Agostinelli's recorded performances there are just too many things each performer brings out of Op. 17 into their interpretations to limit my analysis to one or the other.  Tampalini observes repeats in the score Agostinelli doesn't and that makes it more attentive to the score at one level. On the other hand, while omitting the structural repeats Agostinelli's performance is more intriguing in terms of highlighting the tempi contrasts Matiegka indicated in the score for the first movement and does so to what I regard as an intentionally comic effect (on Matiegka's part and I'll get to that when I finally complete the post).  

I'm also a bit daunted by how it doesn't seem anyone has written in the English language about Matiegka's Op. 17 beyond a few paragraphs and here I'm planning on doing a fairly deep dive into the entire three-movement work and highlight the way Matiegka played freely with sonata forms and large-scale organization.  There's actually two sonata forms in this one so that will be a fun opportunity to highlight the contrast between a big "opening movement" sonata form and a slow second movement sonata form.  Stanley Yates is right to highlight the second movement as a slow Mozartian middle movement sonata form and it will be a great opportunity to discuss what William Caplin and others have described as slow sonata forms that omit transitions entirely.

But I'm still doing wool-gathering for the post proper.  I did, however, want to give a little update because despite the muggy, oppressive August weather we're having I did make some progress this weekend toward that Matiegka 2023 blogging goal and I look forward to having a post ready by a bit before the end of this week.