Sonata Bipolare

This Sonata Bipolare is unique to my oeuvre in many ways. First, it was the first sonata in my professional portfolio. Second, it was the first sonata in my professional portfolio. Furthermore, this was going to be the first work in my portfolioother than my Piano Trio from 2013to not have a programmatic title. Third, it was going to be my first multi-movement work in a while. However, because of the density of the work, the original sonata became three pieces. While I do not particularly like overly-programmatic symphonies, sonatas, or the like, almost all of my output has fanciful titles. Although generically-titled genres such as "sonata" allows the performers to be on equal footing as the music, once all the three movements became independent works in their own right, a more descriptive title was in order. Sonata Bipolare is essentially three concise movements presented in a mosaic fashion, and are ultimately an attempt to showcase the virtuosity of a clarinet-piano duo. The title thus reflects the formal construction of the work, rather than an emotional state or narrative. Thus, much like Kandinsky's Improvisations, this work provides an invitation for an emotional response, rather than a depiction of a pre-conceived emotion. Nonetheless, like almost all of my works, this work also is an invitation for you to find the emotional meaning of the music. While I give no official storyline, the power of music is what I give to you, and I hope you can most genuinely discover what this music says to you.