David Liptak

Viola and Piano

Composer's Note:

Sonata for Viola and Piano has four movements. The first is a brief “Cadenza” in which the viola plays an urgent and gritty line against the punchy stabs of octaves from the high and low extremes of register. It leads directly into the longer second movement, an “Adagio” which is opposite in character - soft, sustained, reflective, and even sweet in temperament. The “Scherzo” is agitated and skittery, at times brittle almost to breaking. The final movement is called “Storm,” and it begins with ominous darkness but ends with the lightness of a rain shower. The sonata was composed for violist Yizhak Schotten, who premiered the work with pianist Katherine Collier on May 1st, 1981, in Phoenix, Arizona. The first performance of the revised version was by violist George Taylor and pianist Zuzanna Szewczyk Kwon.