Reciprocity: Sonata for Violin and Piano (2024) ~23’

Violin and Piano

Written for Nathan Meltzer, Reciprocity, a sonata for violin and piano, delves into the intricate partnership and connection between the two instruments in a series of five movements. From the tension of extreme hockets in the first movement to stepping on each other’s toes in the third, the duo navigates diverse textures and ways of interacting found in chamber music. The fourth movement introduces spatial notation, emphasizing relativity of the instruments, while the second movement showcases a pattern-driven creation of group phrase shapes. The fifth movement serves as the culmination of these relationship explorations, bringing elements from the previous explorations together in a fast-paced and wonky conclusion. With a rhythmic identity marked by asymmetry, the piece prioritizes the exploration of relationships of all kinds, from cooperative to apathetic and to at times, antagonistic.