** I do not own anything seen or heard in this video. The rights to the piece are held by Sergei Prokofiev and the rights to the recording are held by Frederic Chiu. **
I. Tempestuoso: 0:00
II. Allegro Rubato: 2:06
III. Allegro Precipitato: 3:37
IV. Smanioso: 5:35
V. Precipitosissimo: 8:55
The five pieces that constitute Sarcasms (1912-1914) are the product of Prokofiev's most radical musical thinking up to that point. Contrary to what some musicologists have asserted, Sarcasms is not merely a collection of sonic shocks and musical pranks strung together in a group of truly "sarcastic" pieces. Indeed, Prokofiev shows his richly lyrical side in these pieces, especially in the first (Tempestuoso) and third (Allegro precipitato). The fifth, Precipitosissimo, is a depiction of laughter -- not the laughter of sarcasm, but that in the face of tears.
The first piece opens stormily and features the sort of piano writing so recognizable as Prokofiev's most brittle and percussive vein; still, the second theme is extraordinarily lyrical. The second piece, Allegro rubato, begins in a contemplative mood and features a rather nonchalant theme. Allegro precipitato features the most furious music of the five pieces; there is such an intense rush of energy at the outset that one expects a titanic explosion, yet the lyrical middle section tames the anxiety of the opening material. "Smanioso" (Frenzied) seems almost improvisatory at first hearing; the mood is slippery as the music wanders nervously at the outset, moving toward subdued tension in the second half. The last of the Sarcasms is one of the most subtle in the set, occupying a sonic world of dark and hazy images, of gloom and anxiety.
Source: AllMusic.com
