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Chalcedony Sonata

solo piano (2015)

Live recording—02.26.15
Jenny Lin at Strathmore Mansion, North Bethesda, MD

details

Duration: 10 minutes
Commissioned by: Strathmore Music Center for Jenny Lin
Premiere: February 26, 2015
Strathmore Mansion

purchase

DIGITAL / PDF
Score — $24

PRINT
Score available from Theodore Front Musical Literature

Digital performance materials will be emailed within 1-3 business days.

program note

After years of composing outside traditional forms, returning to the sonata felt like rediscovering an old language with a new accent. I found new energy in revisiting the pieces that shaped my early musical life while also exploring the voices of other contemporary composers. In Chalcedony Sonata, I approach sonata form from the perspective of contemporary American music, tracing the paths a piece might take through the evolving soundscape of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Chalcedony is a variety of mineral quartz that occurs in many different varieties such as agate, carnelian, and tiger’s eye. From a healing perspective, the stone is believed to be a powerful cleanser, absorbing and dissipating negative energy and promoting goodwill.


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