Piano Sonata

15 min.

February 14, 2008
Symphony Space, New York City
Sara Laimon, piano

Commissioned by Symphony Space through the generosity of Brandon Fradd

The Piano Sonata (2008) engages classical sonata form in that various theme groups are first presented and then, after a middle section that synthesizes aspects of these groups, recapitulated. But the piece really isn’t about that. Rather, it’s about how the same material can be made into a variety of patterns that can be laid side by side. My working images were any number of Cézanne paintings that, however much they may depict ostensibly a landscape or a set of houses, delineate more prominently patterns of light and shade that run right through the objects. The sonata is dedicated to Sara Laimon and to Brandon Fradd, who generously underwrote this collaboration.

“His Sonata was inspired by Cezanne’s use of light and shade and effectively mines three-part sonata form with a graceful merging of tradition and contemporary style. There’s a motoric, Prokofiev-like driving energy but also a distinctly American feel. Meltzer’s sonata suggests early Copland in its spiky, acerbic writing, yet there’s a compelling individuality in its quickly shifting meters, jazz-flavored syncopations and hushed coda.”

• February 14, 2008: Sara Laimon, piano, Leonard Nimoy Thalia, Symphony Space, New York City
• February 16, 2008: Sara Laimon, piano, Ethical Society of Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
• February 21, 2008: Sara Laimon, piano, Wolfsonian Museum, Miami, Florida
• February 24, 2008: Sara Laimon, piano, University of Maryland Baltimore County
• June 16, 2008: Sara Laimon, piano, Wigmore Hall, London, England
• June 17, 2008: Sara Laimon, piano, American Academy in Rome, Italy