Stravinsky: Piano Sonata (1924)

Earl Wild, whose legendary career has spanned over 70 years, performs in this brand new recording four 20th and 21st century piano sonatas. Mr. Wild states: "I had a personal friendship with all four composers on this disc, although one of the relationships has been a little more intimate. I have performed the Hindemith and Stravinsky sonatas in public many times since the 1940s. The Barber Sonata however is a first performance for me. I have the greatest admiration for this wonderful work. My own Sonata was completed in April of this year. A stylistically eclectic work, it incorporates Civil War tunes, echoes of popular music of the 1920s and, in the finale (entitled "Toccata a la Ricky Martin"), there is a distinctive Latin American flavour.

Composing at the piano was a life-long preoccupation for Stravinsky, whose music for the instrument spans a forty-year period and reflects his distinct stylistic changes. In his Four Etudes of 1908 the use of complex rhythmical patterns between the hands makes for fiendishly difficult execution. The clarity of each of the 1924 Sonatas’ three movements recalls the musical language of the 18th century. In 1925 Stravinsky embarked on a groundbreaking tour of the United States, where he signed his first recording contract for Brunswick. It was for this company that he wrote the Serenade, designing each movement to fit neatly on one side of a 78rpm gramophone record.

“Victor Sangiorgio, a pianist new to me, plays this music with authority and assertiveness, captured in excellent sound….there is a wonderful revelation waiting in store for you!” Audiophile Audition