Item Number: EC.8052
Sonata for Violoncello and Piano was written especially for cellist Emil Miland. As a performer, Mr. Miland has frequently appeared with many of the world's finest singers, and his playing for me has always embodied many features of vocal technique, including a special kind of portamento, and varying speeds of vibrati. To that end, I fashioned in this piece long, arching melodies that are unabashedly lyrical and romantic in character.
The first movement, marked Allegro Moderato Appassionato, is cast in an expansive sonata-allegro form, and its trajectory unfolds with bold, sweeping gestures. Though firmly in D Major, the entire melodic and harmonic texture of the movement is highly chromatic, giving the musical character a sense of heightened inflection and intensity. -David Conte.
