Program Notes

"The viola is certainly one of the most difficult instruments for the composer to display convincingly and effectively. Fortunately for me, however, at the time of beginning the Viola Sonata, I had already completed two viola concertos, numerous viola solo pieces, and a trio for viola, clarinet, and piano, which gave me greater confidence in my undertaking. Therefore, this new Sonata, commissioned by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and dedicated to Walter Trampler, embodies several notable developments of my creative thought.

"First, I envisioned musical ideas drawn from the richest and most resonant tessitura of the viola coupled and integrated with supportive resonances from the piano. Second, this Sonata culminates, to some degree, one period in my search for expressive possibilities in the still-present universe of tonality. It incorporates pulse-dance rhythms, vivid harmonic color, and, most important, singing in the manner of opera—specifically 'bel canto.' And finally, composing for artists of the magnitude of Walter Trampler and Charles Wadsworth was a continual inspiration. I was always able to hear and see their performance vividly in my musical imagination. Such collaboration needs to be perpetually fostered at the highest level. Herein lies one of the genuine tests for the development, sustenance, and ultimate impact of the composer's contribution to the mainstream repertoire. And to such collaboration and inspiration the Sonata owes its themes, emotional states, developmental stages, movement structure, and harmonic forms. Imagining several movements with a viola cadenza in the first movement, I tried to create a hybrid of Beethovian and Schubertian dialogue, romantically filtered through a contemporary dramatic realism. Indeed, all of these 'wanderings' were psychically powerful, continually reinforced by the thought of Walter and Charles performing the Sonata in Alice Tully Hall."

—William Thomas McKinley (© 1986), from 14, 16 Feb 1986 program.