Sonata for Cello and Piano (2001)
i Prelude
ii Passacaglia
iii Scherzo
20 minutes
The Sonata was composed in the first half of 2001 for my colleague at Crane, Mathias Wexler. Initially, I planned on writing a single, stand-alone scherzo; the movement was written in a nondiatonic, but otherwise traditional language. When it was finished, I realized that it was not quite substantial enough to fill a slot in a recital program on its own. The Passacaglia was written next. This slow movement was the first thoroughly serial work I'd written in about fifteen years. The first movement was the last written, and also the one completed most quickly. It is cast in a freely tonal, somewhat postminimalist language. Overall, the sonata continues my interest in attempting to juxtapose stylistically contrasting movements while preserving a sense of wholeness across the work.
The Sonata appears on Five New Works for Cello, available from Albany Records here.
i Prelude
ii Passacaglia
iii Scherzo
20 minutes
The Sonata was composed in the first half of 2001 for my colleague at Crane, Mathias Wexler. Initially, I planned on writing a single, stand-alone scherzo; the movement was written in a nondiatonic, but otherwise traditional language. When it was finished, I realized that it was not quite substantial enough to fill a slot in a recital program on its own. The Passacaglia was written next. This slow movement was the first thoroughly serial work I'd written in about fifteen years. The first movement was the last written, and also the one completed most quickly. It is cast in a freely tonal, somewhat postminimalist language. Overall, the sonata continues my interest in attempting to juxtapose stylistically contrasting movements while preserving a sense of wholeness across the work.
The Sonata appears on Five New Works for Cello, available from Albany Records here.
"The major composition here is a three-movement sonata with piano accompanied by the composer, David Heinick. It is in an unusual blend of harmonic languages with a post-minimalist prelude, a 12-tone passacaglia, and a Scherzo that is in between. It is an attractive piece of strength and virtuosity. Wexler is a straightforward player who pre-
sents this varied program with conviction; Heinick plays well, too."
-D Moore
American Record Guide; Sep/Oct2009, Vol. 72 Issue 5, p224-224, 1/3p