Microsonata No. 1 (2018)

solo piano

Joshua Espinoza, piano

Recorded Live. July 10, 2018 | Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen, MI

Program Note

Written for pianist Joshua Espinoza in 2018, during the 91st Season of Interlochen Arts Camp, Microsonata No. 1 is a distilled version of the multi-movement sonata form prevalent within the Western musical canon. The work opens with two distinct motives, separated by a transitional flourish. The slow second section of the composition features a syncopated, quasi-jazz-style melody, supported by an ostinato bassline. The melody and accompaniment gradually separate from each other in pitch space, until this process is interrupted by the onset of the work's finale. Throughout this whimsical miniature, motivic materials are minimally developed in a variation-like manner.