Rhapsody for Violin and Piano

Rhapsody is a single-movement sonata for violin and piano. It is a study in traditional sonata- allegro form: the "Exposition" lays out two contrasting themes in contrasting keys and the "Recapitulation" reprises those themes but this time the second theme takes on some of the musical and tonal characteristics of the first theme. The "Development" section is comprised of a completely different theme and so it functions as a slow movement. This structure reminds me of Prokofiev's first piano concerto and, indeed, Prokofiev's tonal language was an inspiration for this work. Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano and Concerto in G for piano were also strong influences. The placement of the violin's cadenza mimics the cadenza of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor. In this way, Rhapsody, combines aspects of my favorite composers and their compositions for both instruments. Why a "Rhapsody"? To me a rhapsody is a work that explores epic topics and was originally a kind of poetic oration. Though this composition does not have a specific story in mind, it nevertheless has something grandiose to say. Rhapsody was premiered on July 30, 2022 on a program called "High Strung: New Music for Violin and Piano." Abigail Bellorin was the violinist and has been very generous helping to improve and edit the violin part. The composer was the pianist.