4/3/20

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Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952)

After two days in a row of challenging pieces, I believe it would be no better time than now to get a reminder of just how simply beautiful music can be. Sergei Bortkiewicz’s 10 Etudes, Op. 15 is a collection of pieces that always reminds me of why I chose to study music when I listen to it. I was first exposed to the Ukrainian composer’s works from my brother, who has always excelled at playing the piano as a hobby and who has consequently influenced my love for not just piano literature, but also the romantic style of music throughout my childhood.

To both my brother’s and my own knowledge, Bortkiewicz is a composer that remains largely unknown except perhaps among the community of pianists. In studying his life for a short time when I fell in love with his music, I attributed this to a couple of reasons. The first and probably most important of these reasons is that his style likely struggled to gain attention in the 20th century as this time saw the development of several music styles/genres within the umbrella of “classical music.” As evident by this piece, Sergei Bortkiewicz’s style closely resembles that of Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, and early Scriabin. The second reason for his lack of fame likely lies in his struggles during both world wars. Additionally, though he actively composed throughout his life, Bortkiewicz was also a very accomplished teacher of piano, and it is very likely that much of his composition was informed by his vast amount of time spent teaching - hence his collections of “etudes,” or '“studies,” along with the sheer number of his compositions being written for the piano.

Regardless of his fame or lack thereof, this opus has quickly become my favorite collection of piano pieces. First published in 1911, these pieces display an elegant mastery of romantic harmony, form, and melodic drive. Each of the ten etudes flow seamlessly from idea to idea, catching the listener at the perfect times. Even their brevity is nuanced, with each piece accomplishing a distinct emotion while not trying to convey too much as to overload the listener. In looking at the music from a theory standpoint, Bortkiewicz’s mastery of his own harmonic language and of form is clear. When listening, consider just how satisfyingly placed his returns to the main melody can be - in each etude, there is departure from the comfort of the beginning to take the listener through emotional struggle before openly and unabashedly returning to the main theme. This form is what gives music of the Romantic Era such immediate brilliance, leading listeners through a trek just to receive the payoff which the entire piece is building up to.

In truth, I could continue to gush about my admiration of Bortkiewicz for quite some time, so I will cut it there. Below I am posting a video with the score of the etudes, performed by Jouni Somero. Another pianist who I would highly recommend in general, but especially with his recordings of the works of Sergei Bortkiewicz would be Cyprien Katsaris. As I stated earlier, these etudes are my favorite collection of piano works, but beyond that I also have to mention that etude No. VIII (Lamentoso con gran espressione; 'Verlobungsetude') is perhaps one of my favorite individual piano pieces of all time. Etudes No. IV and No. VI also quite moving for me, but No. VIII is pure bliss - in writing this post, I had the collection playing in the background and I had to take a break from writing when VIII started to play. Whether you choose to listen to these pieces actively or passively, I hope it will become clear that Bortkiewicz’s music shows us that you don’t have to be innovative in style to be a good story teller or have a clear and successful aesthetic.