Sonata for Violin and Piano 2006 (5:50)
1. black and white lines
(and sometimes orange and light blue) on a field of white2. blue and red patches
on a field of green3. technicolor geometric shapes
on a field of royal stewart plaidThough the use of the word sonata as a title these days feels a bit generic and tame, sonatas are really supposed to be all about contrast. and my Sonata for Violin and Piano goes to lots of extremes with intense contrast. Inspired by the extreme and intense person for whom it was originally written, my friend the violinist Ariana Kim, the piece consists of two wild and relentless outer movements, separated by an almost comatose middle adagio. The first movement spins to the perimeters of register for the instruments. In the middle movement, the glacial tempo of the violin’s music is contrasted by faster, busier gestures in the piano, and then the two players gradually trade music. The third movement is a taffy-pull on some classic baroque concerto gestures. The titles of the individual movements reflect only the way they represented themselves to me in my mind’s eye.
