Roy Agnew: Sonata Poème (1935)

Abstract

"The Sonata Poeme was published in 1936. A note at the end of the score proclaims that the work was completed in July, 1935, but we know that Agnew had played it at least six years earlier. Like many composer-pianists, Agnew constantly chipped away at his creations, touching up details, and experimenting with different passage figurations. Some of these variants were preserved in manuscripts, or passed down through an oral tradition. The Sonata Poeme is the most lyric of the sonatas, and concentrates on line rather than chord work for its effect. The thematic material is more economical than in the Sonata Fantasie (according to Burston, Agnew talked about three themes), and the predominant mood is inward and reflective, although Agnew cannot resist at least two impassioned outbursts in the work." -- Larry Sitsky