Piano Sonata (Martinů)

Bohuslav Martinů's Piano Sonata, H. 350 was written in Nice in the last months of 1954 for Rudolf Serkin, who premiered it in Düsseldorf in 1957 coupled with Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata No. 29.[1] The first performance in the Eastern Bloc took place in Brno later that year, by Eliška Nováková.[2]

Framed by the Symphony No. 6 and the Piano Concerto No. 4, it is Martinů's largest solo piano work[3] and a significant work of his late period, characterized by formal freedom, dramatic tension, harsh dissonant harmonies and changing rhythms.[4] It consists of three movements:

  1. Poco allegro
  2. Moderato
  3. Adagio - Poco allegro

See also

References

  1. ↑ David Christophersen will perform Martinů Piano Sonata (H 350) in Edinburgh, Cambridge, Bristol and London during 2012. Dvořák Society for Czech and Slovak Music
  2. ↑ Michael Beckerman, Martinů's mysterious accident: essays in honor of Michael Henderson. Page 118
  3. ↑ Review of Eric Entwistle's recording of the work in Musicweb International
  4. ↑ François R. de Tranchefort et al., Guide de la musique de piano et de clavecin. Page 486