Fantasy-Sonata

SKU: BR.EB-8993

ISBN 9790004187227. 9 x 12 inches.

The three piano sonatas by Joachim Raff (1822-1882), representing his three main creative phases, occupy a special position among his more than 100 piano pieces. They reflect a significant compositional aspiration whereas Raff otherwise frequently leans towards the salon-music genre in his piano music. Raff composed the early sonata op. 14 in 1844 after his first works were positively evaluated and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy had encouraged him to venture a career as a composer. The Fantasie-Sonate [Fantasy Sonata] in d minor op. 168, Raff wrote in 1871 at the height of his fame as one of Germany's then most-played composers. Its dedication to Camille Saint-Saens shows his opposition to the rampant German disapproval of France and its music representatives in the wake of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71. The second version of the sonata op. 14, composed in the fall of 1881, had only the opus number in common with the earlier version. In this late work Raff had created an entirely new sonata. ,,Beautifully presented on cream paper, with exceptional clarity and generous spacing. The Fantasie-Sonate in D minor Op. 168, in particular, is a masterpiece which manifests both considerable power and exquisite craftsmanship. (www.pianodao.com).

SKU: HL.49045822

ISBN 9781540024749. UPC: 888680737764. 9.25x12.0x0.29 inches.

The Kreutzer Sonata was originally dedicated not to Rudolphe Kreutzer (who never performed it) but to George Bridgetower, a famed 18th-century Afro-European concert violinist. In an early draft, Beethoven jokingly labeled the piece in starkly racialized terms: Sonata Mulattica composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, big wild mulatto composer.Beethoven and Bridgetower performed the premiere, which was by all accounts a success, and even featuring some improvised embellishment by the violinist. While celebrating afterwards, the two quarreled about what Beethoven construed as Bridgetower's insult of a female acquaintance; the composer then revoked the original dedication, adding Kreutzer's name instead. The work gained acclaim, while Bridgetower's career languished; he eventually died in poverty.Bridgetower has been the subject of considerable research and speculation, most notably in poet Rita Dove's book, Sonata Mulattica. From our 21st-century vantage, considering Bridgetower's unique circumstance, we can only see him as an ambiguous figure who, in embodying difference, provoked inspiration, fantasy, desire, anger and, finally, erasure.My piece is a collection of imaginings about George Bridgetower. It is not programmatic, but it takes on an episodic character, assembled from contrasting fragments. The dance rhythms, recurring figures and gestural contours are intended to feature the embodied expertise and expressivity of the performers, who at times must access liminal sounds and execute complex synchronies. I am grateful to Jenny Koh and Shai Wosner for involving me in their beautiful, virtuosic music-making.

SKU: ET.PNO104

ISBN 9790207009784.

Pers istently melodic, with constant forward movement, accompanied by densely chromatic harmonies and many polyrhythmic sections, creating an intensely dramatic work.
In 1975 Lane composed his Piano Sonata 4 for piano, which he dedicated to his former student and graduate of both the Eastman and Juilliard schools, Karl Tricomi. Lane composed five other works in 1975, including a suite for two pianos, and instrumental and vocal solos. A year later in 1976, Tricomi performed the world premiere of Piano Sonata 4, Piano Sonata 3 as well as Fantasy No. 1 for piano (1976) in an all-Lane concert at Carnegie Hall.

SKU: ET.PNO102

ISBN 9790207009760.

The first movement has a dreamy and dramatic impressionistic quality, whereas the second movement is deeply melancholy and religious sounding. The third movement is playful with pulsating rhythms, which demonstrate a symphonic jazz feel.
In 1963, at the age of thirty, Lane quickly formed up a close friendship with Paul Van Ness through their involvement with the Ridgewood Orpheus Glee Club (NJ), an all-male choir for which Lane was appointed accompanist. Lane maintained the accompanist position for this group for forty-one years until his death in 2004. Lane dedicated his Sonata 2 to Van Ness as a high school graduation present in 1965. During this period Lane also composed a piano suite for four hands, and a fantasy for piano and orchestra, along with other solo instrumental, choral and orchestral works. Van Ness performed the world premiere of Piano Sonata 2 at his Senior Recital in 1969, five years after its conception, at the Eastman School of Music, Lane’s alma mater. Karl Tricomi, another student of Lane’s and also graduate of the Eastman School of Music performed this second Sonata in 1976 at Carnegie Hall (NY) as well.