This three-movement sonata is an intense and profoundly moving psychological journey, a contemporary work that resembles the grand Classical tradition while speaking in a romantic voice. The sonata’s structure forms an emotional crucible, leading the listener through conflict, grief, and a final, defiant triumph.
The Allegro Triste
The sonata launches straight into its conflict, with the Appassionato movement characterized by dramatic intensity and powerful passages. The dense writing displays pianistic ambition, contrasting a bold first theme with a lyrical second theme, creating moments of delicate beauty amid the turmoil.
The Adagio Amoroso
Following the storm of the opening, the sonata falls into its emotional core. The Adagio is a movement of luminous sorrow. This introspective lament possesses a spiritual cantabile (singing) melody that unfolds in the piano’s upper register, achingly beautiful over a bed of rich, sonorous, and often dissonant harmonies.
The Presto Agitado
The finale emerges from the depths of the Adagio, bursting with brilliance and virtuosity. This movement showcases rhythmic vitality and contrapuntal complexity, structured as a grand rondo. Driven by a percussive and fierce central theme that intensifies with each return, the intervening episodes feature intricate fugato passages. Themes from the first movement reappear as transformed memories within the finale’s triumphant narrative. Ultimately, the work culminates in an exuberant coda, delivering a powerful conclusion to the journey.
