Hailstork: Piano Sonata No. 2

Description

"The musical language of the Sonata is modern, even briefly strident in four movements. in the second, Allegro con brio, we hear a brief section that is not a quote but rather a recapitulation of the structure of Rhapsody in Blue. The bold, slow pace in the third, Molto adagio, movement feels serious, troubled, even pensive. A faint reference to a spiritual tune is so brief that it increases the agony when it does not materialize. The final movement, Misterioso allegro, demands great power but with calculated precision because of the measured pace." (Lori Laitman, www.artsongupdate.org)