B58B63B5-15E0-4233-B3E4-08B5F4C364EF
| ID | B58B63B5-15E0-4233-B3E4-08B5F4C364EF |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | X511004 |
| Title Name | Sonata Variations |
| Marketing Copy | Kennedy Center Friedheim Award Winner 1985. As the title Sonata-Variations is intended to suggest, the work springs from a single theme followed by 15 variations grouped into larger architectonic units reminiscent of the classical sonata idea. |
| Instrumentation | Violin, Piano |
| Commission | (not set) |
| Dedication | For Ronald Copes. |
| Program Notes | As the title Sonata-Variations is intended to suggest, the work springs from a single theme followed by 15 variations grouped into larger architectonic units reminiscent of the classical sonata idea. The theme itself, played in violin double-stops at the very outset, has F as its tonal center and is made up of a chain of alternating ninths and sevenths, producing as a result two diatonic voices moving in dissonant counterpoint. The first variation begins the developmental discourse by working with but a small fragment of the theme, and as the movement progresses more elements are gradually reintegrated until arriving at what is essentially a recapitulation with D as tonal center. A chorale-like piano statement of the theme, heard at the movement's close, brings the tonality back to F. The second movement begins tonally and motivically at a seemingly great remove from the theme, playing principally with a three-note fragment and its inflected forms. The rondo which follows (variations 6 through 14, with a contrasting slow variation embedded within) is itself a set of variations, as the A section is considerably altered with each appearance. The final variation recalls the end of the first movement, concluding with a reworking for the violin of the piano's chorale, transformed to bring the work to a triumphant close in D. |
| Title Brand | 2 |
| Year Composed | 1984 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 27 |
| Ensemble Size | 2 |
| Date Created | 2008-10-31 20:33:03.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:33:03 |
| Inhouse Note | 5 yr term agreement. |
| Bsc Code | (not set) |
| Text Author | (not set) |
| Premier Performance Memo | (not set) |
| Recording Credits | Recorded by Ronald Copes and James Bonn, New World Records CD 80461-2 |
| Review | "...a set of 15 variations so romantic in sound that some of it could almost be mistaken for the 19th century..." --Lon Tuck, The Washington Post |
| Awards | Third Prize in the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award 1985. |
| Title Category | 10 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | (not set) |
| Title Instrument Category Text | Violin |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | 99 |
| Title Instrument Header | 56 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | sonata-variations-x511004 |