PIANO SONATA NO. 4 from the years 1962–1964 is dedicated to the memory of Fiser’s friend, the pianist Antonín Jemelík, who died tragically. As a tribute to their friendship the composer incorporated into the introduction a quotation from their favourite work, Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 70,by Alexander Scriabin. The tragedy of the death of the composer’s friend pervades the emotionally intense passage of unison octaves which follows the three-bar quotation. From a compositional point of view this work is a masterpiece of the mid-Sixties. Written as one movement, the piece is divided into numerous mutually contrasting segments which themselves are clearly grouped into two sections, exposition and development. The individual themes are introduced in the first section and thematically expanded in the second section. The motif treatment lies almost exclusively in the fragmenting or curtailing of the theme, or in the use of a combination of several themes, for the most part brief and eloquent. This compositional method, together with a clear-cut manner of execution, mainly semitonal melody and sharply contrastive dynamics, lends force and transparency to the piece. Piano Sonata No. 4 was completed in 1964 together with Symphonic Fresco, Concerto da camera for piano and orchestraand Fifteen Prints after Dürer’s Apocalypseand has earned its rightful place alongside them as masterpieces of Fiser’s œuvre. The work was first performed by Pavel Stepán in Prague’s Rudolfinum in 1965. The new setting for this piece is based on the single edition to date (Panton, 1969); only with regard to a few inconsistencies in the score was it necessary to consult the composer’s manuscript (kept at the National Museum – Czech Museum of Music, acquisition number 297/2006). H 7988, ISMN 979-2601-0447-1

PIANO SONATA NO. 3 was written in 1960 during the composer’s studies at HAMU (Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague) under Emil Hlobil. The first half of the 1960s was the period during which Fiser’s musical language underwent fundamental change as he rapidly cultivated his own, distinctive style, established in Fifteen Prints after Dürer’s Apocalypse. This sonata thus also includes several essential traits which shift his compositional development further. The work has two movements, however, its internal structure abandons traditional form. The piece is divided into several short, mutually contrasting sections, whereby the distinctions between the adjacent parts are emphasised by the thematic and chordal treatment. These contrasts are also supported by the chosen dynamics, tempo and other expressional means. The harmony is largely based on traditional chords or their condensed form while, in certain passages, we will nevertheless come across semitone clusters or fourth chords. The melody is still chiefly diatonic; at times Fiser uses chromatic sequences. These new elements in Sonata No. 3 indicate an attempt to simplify his writing and ensure greatest transparency and impact. This endeavour became a basic characteristic of Fiser’s compositions from the mid-1960s onwards. The sonata originally bore the postscript Fantasia, which was subsequently taken out by the composer. It was first performed by Ales Bílek in 1961. The new setting for this piece is based on the single edition to date (Panton, 1967); only with regard to a few inconsistencies in the score was it necessary to consult the composer’s manuscript (kept at the National Museum – Czech Museum of Music, acquisition number 297/2006). H 7957, ISMN 979-2601-0446-4