Shichiseki

Whilst this Piano Sonata was not written with a specific program in mind, it is nonetheless a work that explores the tension between the opposing forces of decay and regeneration. The first movement initially seems to coalesce from dwindling melodic lines, and for its entirety it strives to assemble itself into a peaceful, settled state; opposing this constructive momentum is the imminent threat of collapse, ultimately lending the movement into a decidedly disquieting tone. Movement II, a brief intermezzo, is passively suspended in an eighteenth-century minuet and trio, distorted as if in a state of natural decay. Yet, the third movement looks upwards: in an optimistic, unrelenting bid for convalescence, it challenges the destructive forces of the first movement with renewed strength, bringing the piece to a jubilant close.