Sonata

Description

Viola, Piano — Organic unity in terms of structure and thematic material is a prime factor in this work. The Sonata centers around G-sharp major/minor; the inherent half-step conflict is of prime importance to the tonal and thematic development. The first movement has an arc-like structure. The opening theme in the viola is actually first heard in augmentation, with the piano measures half as long as the viola measures. This polymetric device is further exploited in the movement’s central development section and coda, where the viola and piano parts end “out of phase” by half a measure until the final chord.The second movement is a series of continuous passacaglia variations on a theme derived from a 17-note figure heard in the first movement. The passacaglia theme is heard at the beginning of the second movement in the piano alone. Each of the successive 17 variations is transposed to a successive note of the theme itself, so the entire movement becomes, in effect, a single large variation. Since the variations are continuous and the theme not always the most prominent material, another form emerges, whose thematic structure is related to the phraseology of the theme (again enhancing the idea of the whole movement as being a single large variation.)The third movement begins with a short recitativo section alternating viola and piano, which leads directly into the body of the movement, marked Allegro feroce. Here, in a rondo-like structure, previous material from the other movements is further developed and summarized.The opening four chromatically descending chords of Gesualdo’s madrigal “Moro lasso”occur at several strategic points in the first movement and in the coda of the last movement. These “quotations” have no ulterior programmatic significance, but are consistent (and at the time of composition, seemingly inevitable) with the work’s motivic development.The Sonata is dedicated to violist Neal Gripp, who gave the work its premiere with pianist Daniel Lessner at Town Hall in New York City. Liebermann's Sonata for Viola and Piano is motivically taut, muscled, and moody, with a quasi-Russian melodic sensibility that carries the piece from vigorous fast passages to ghostly recitative-like sections. From the New York Times: "…it is fresh, dramatic, and sometimes haunting music. Mr. Liebermann knows how to use repetition, how to vary a moto perpetuo, how to brood or ruminate without losing the listener’s attention." Gripping to listen to, and equally rewarding to play for both players, it makes a hefty and impressive addition to the recital program.