John Corigliano - Sonata for Violin and Piano [video]

[masterraro]

Hey everyone,

This is a very special work by John Corigliano. I got to know John and studied composition with him briefly, but I never played this piece for him... There are many great recordings of this piece out there, but here is a video of the only time I ever performed the whole sonata, at Elebash Recital Hall in NYC.

While perhaps not as famous as his Red Violin score, this sonata is certainly one of his most popular works, and I think it's easy to see why when you listen it all. I'm curious how much exposure there is here on this forum to Corigliano, and I hope I may inspire some of you to go searching for his other works.

John Corigliano, now recognized as one of the greatest living American composers, wrote this piece in the early days of his career. John's father, John Corigliano Sr. was the concert master of the New York Philharmonic at the time and he had certain reservations about his son's ambitions to be a composer. But John Sr. championed this work and recorded it beautifully (please check out this awesome early recording!) This sonata is extremely demanding for both instruments, but it's so much fun to put together. Sometimes it sounds like Shostakovich, other times Bernstein or Barber... but most of all, it sounds like Corigliano. His compositional voice is one of a kind, and even in this early work, it is as clear as ever.

Notes on the work by the composer, John Corigliano himself:

The Sonata, written during 1962-63, is for the most part a tonal work although it incorporates non-tonal and poly-tonal sections within it as well as other 20th-century harmonic, rhythmic, and constructional techniques. The listener will recognize the work as a product of an American writer although this is more the result of an American writing music than writing ‘American’ music — a second-nature, unconscious action on the composer’s part. Rhythmically, the work is extremely varied. Meters change in almost every measure, and independent rhythmic patterns in each instrument are common. The Violin Sonata was originally entitled Duo, and therefore obviously treats both instruments as co-partners. Virtuosity is of great importance in adding color and energy to the work which is basically an optimistic statement, but the virtuosity is always motivated by musical means. To cite an example: the last movement rondo includes in it a virtuosic polyrhythmic and polytonal perpetual motion whose thematic material and accompaniment figures are composed of three distinct elements derived from materials stated in the beginning of the movement. The 16th-note perpetual motion theme is originally a counterpoint to the movement’s initial theme. Against this are set two figures — an augmentation of the movement’s primary theme and, in combination with that, a 5/8 rhythmic ostinato utilized originally to accompany a totally different earlier passage. All three elements combine to form a new virtuoso perpetual motion theme which is, of course, subjected to further development and elaboration.

Thanks for taking the time to listen and looking forward to a conversation,

M