Customer Reviews for Sonate, No. 2
Anonymous
Location: from Toronto, Canada
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
June 18, 2008
Oh, la la...
I have PhD in theory and 20 years of piano lessons. I purchased the score for study. I can't play this, and I do not think many could. It is extremely difficult. The print and scansion are excellent. Thick off-white paper of fine quality. The composition is an excellent window onto Boulez's serial technique at that time (1946-48). In the 1st Mvt., The original rhythmic-registral statement of the series flashes by in the first measure, and from there it is treated to typical Boulezian manipulations (interversions, multiplications, interchange of durational and pitch-class values, etc.). The development section is a tour-de-force in trichordal, as well as tetrachordal combinatoriality. Highly recommended for study. I have several recordings, recommend Polini's. Listen, analyze, listen, analyze. An excellent edition to any theorist's score collection.
28 of 43 people found this review helpful.