Program Notes

My sonata opens with the piano’s sudden statement of a rhythmic motif that, to my ear, has the character of a ‘wake up call.’ The motif is picked up by the violin, which echoes it more slowly, as if resisting the piano’s out-and-out sense of alarm. The two instruments then work their way through various emotional regions, each time ‘reconsidering’ the motif from their new perspective. In contrast to this first movement, the second contains a sense of peace, or calm, that I like to pretend I possess buried deep inside myself. The third movement has an ABABA structure -- an alternation between an abrupt, brusque “Don’t touch me there!” demeanor, and another mood that is both looser and more sinister. Over the years, friends and colleagues have sometimes teased me for my apparent lack of imagination regarding the naming of my compositions. I can only hope that you find the content of the work contains more passion than its title.