A joint commission by Tatsuya Fujimoto and Nanako Sugiura.

Premiered by Nanako Sugiura on December 1, 2024 (Geijutsuka no Ie Studio, Meguro).

I believe I received the commission from Ms. Sugiura (and Mr. Tatsuya Fujimoto) to compose a piano sonata around the end of 2023. After a period of gestation, the work was completed around late August 2024. Sonata form, by its nature, contains many sections that must be 'transcribed' or 'recapitulated.' I have always privately considered this a 'flaw of sonata form,' as it halves the joy of 'creating something from nothing' during the composition process for those sections. When I finally confronted sonata form again after a long time, I considered how I could enjoy the process and how to make it enjoyable for the listener. I hope you will enjoy it.

First Movement

Sonata form with an introduction. While the treatment of tonality is key in classical sonata form, I intentionally avoided a contrasting use of keys in this work. Consequently, the second subject appears in the same key even in the recapitulation. The pitch series of the first subject, 'A-B♭-G-F♯,' is inverted in the second subject as 'B-B♭-C♯-D.' The work as a whole centers around D major/minor, a characteristic that is carried through to the third and fourth movements.

Second Movement

Slow movement. Initially, I intended to compose this movement according to the following statement: 'In homage to the activities of the commissioner, Ms. Naho Sugiura, who champions Japanese composers, this movement would incorporate sounds that I consider uniquely Japanese.' However, as I proceeded, some parts became constrained by formal beauty, ultimately resulting in a Western style. Nevertheless, the figure containing sixteenth notes that appears from measure 26 is modeled after the second song, 'Mushikago' (Insect Cage), from my song cycle 'Three Songs by Kansuke Naka.' Since that song itself was composed with a strong awareness of Japanese sounds, I would be pleased if this figure also evokes a Japanese atmosphere within the sonata. (Ms. Sugiura commented that it sounded like insect chirps, and indeed, the lyrics for that part of 'Mushikago' are precisely the insect sounds 'chiriri korenren.')

Third Movement

Scherzo-like. The theme has a playful, 'chochotto' (just a little bit) character. The score indicates this as 'Jun's habit of saying when he's angry.'

Fourth Movement

A free three-part form, incorporating development. It begins with a Maestoso introduction, where the opening G-G♯-A foreshadows a later theme. The theme is based on D major/minor, and after some development, it leads to a middle subject, also in D major/minor. After the return of the theme, there is a development based on the pitch series of the first movement's subject. Subsequently, even the second subject of the first movement makes an appearance. The movement concludes with a Presto, followed by an extensive coda.