Description
The Sonata for piano, Op. 1, written in 1922, is a relatively traditional work in a good old-fashioned three-movement structure. In this piece, one can detect a clear influence of late-romantic Russian composers – especially Alexander Scriabin. Even though Protopopov was experimenting with post-tonal harmony and used octatonic scales and tritone relations for all thematic material and texturing, the piece is still quite pleasant to the ear. The essence of his personal style is already there, but this piece is not as wild as his later works.
In 1922, Protopopov's song cycle Юность (Youth), Op. 3 was premiered in Moscow by singer Olga Butomo-Nazvanova. For the lyrics, he had chosen poems by Sergei Lipsky about a starting romance – probably not a coincidence, as his lover Yavorsky was accompanying Butomo-Nazvanova on the piano. In this cycle, containing songs like Накануне (The Night Before) and Знаешь ли ты? (Do You Know?), the composer experiments with the way structure can enhance the music's emotional impact.
