Pianist: Marco Rapetti
Published in 1899

0:00 - Con moto
0:57 - *Agitato
1:45 - Allegretto
2:14 - *Lamentoso

Lyadov and his style
Anatoly Lyadov (1855-1914 b. St. Petersburg) is one of the least played geniuses of Russian music. His neglect makes some sense given his stylistic choices. One of which is that he accepted conservatory education and western innovations, refusing to take such as radical a stance as "the five" when crafting his own music [1]. This kept him securely away from that camp. On the other hand, his love of counterpoint and western romanticism [1] placed him more in tune with the likes of Tchaikovsky, the Rubinstein brothers, and Taneyev. Unfortunately, Lyadov never achieved the widespread success of Tchaikovsky, the precise, scholarly brilliance of Taneyev or the exacting critical mind of the Rubinstein brothers. What Lyadov offers instead is, of course, unique. But even though Lyadov played a significant role in Russian music's retreat from nationalism [2], he is still often undervalued when compared to the other giants of his time.

Sometimes, Lyadov's music gets lost in the sea of Russian nationalist music because of how similar his music can sound to the ambient output of the time. Lyadov, much like Taneyev, formed a style based on a synthesis of Russian nationalist elements like folk music and church modes and more western elements like tight form, counterpoint, and the rich romantic inheritance passed down by Chopin and Schumann [1]. Fairy tales, literature, and Russian realist art also played a significant role in filling Lyadov's mind with inspiration [1]. As time went on and nationalism declined, Lyadov filled a stylistic void. As Glazunov and Arensky came to be known, Lyadov also arose a "founding member of this 'first generation' of symbolist composers [3]. Late in life, he went on to be inspired by the French impressionists and by Scriabin, using the mystic chord in in some of his later works [1]. Throughout his career as a composer, Lyadov had a rich treasury of artistic influences to draw from, which lead to a varied and unique output but, most importantly, an output worth listening to.

Four Preludes
Con moto - This piece is a standard opening prelude for Lyadov. It features more stream-like melodies with a polyrhythmic texture. It is very Chopinesque, and it features a bit of modulation and chromaticism here and there. The piece feels very derivative of the other 'Con Moto' preludes that Lyadov wrote.

Agitato - Although short, this prelude is a sharp burst of color and excitement. The loud chords pop over the highlighting octaves with modulations so frequent that the prelude almost can't fail to dazzle. This piece is like the musical equivalent to fireworks.

Allegretto - Another stream-like, Chopinesque prelude. It's brevity makes it more of a brief transition between the Agitato prelude and the Lamentoso than a standalone piece.

Lamentoso - This prelude is one of Lyadov's more substantive preludes. The piece integrates the slow and the melodic with the stream-like quality of his other preludes; the result is a microcosm of Lyadov's approach to the prelude. The textural variety, the counterpoint, and the occasional use of the triplet give the impression that there is a bit of everything here. That is, except for the stark energy of Lyadov's more tumultuous preludes.

Bibliography
[1] X. Zhang. A Study of the Piano Works by Anatol Lyadov. Doctoral Work. Arizona State University, 2018.
[2] M. Montagu-Nathan. A History of Russian Music. Sagwan Press. 2015.
[3] A. Masrow. “Contexts of Symbolist Music in Silver Age Russia 1861-1917”. Southern Methodist Univ. 2008.

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