Sonata Op. 5

Abstract

Given Strauss' superior skill at the piano, it is interesting to note that his contribution to the literature of this instrument is quite small and, judging from the infrequency of performance, quite underestimated. The works for solo piano date primarily from the early 1880s—well before the operas and tone poems —and Piano Sonata in B Minor is his last such essay in the genre. As with many of Strauss' compositions from this period, Mendelssohn's influence is clearly evident. Stylistically, the sonata belongs with the other Classically inspired, strictly formalistic works from the composer's student years. The Sonata is cast in four movements: Allegro (in a rigorously followed sonata form), Adagio cantabile, Scherzo, and Finale.

An early manifestation of Strauss' nostalgia for the past, this work displays his precocious mastery of traditional form and a love of the Viennese Classical aesthetic. Though criticized for its "dryness" and lack of emotion—a typical charge made against Strauss' early works—the Sonata also has extremely energetic and playful moments. The Scherzo in particular has a light, lyrical quality that is usually associated with Strauss' later works, and the piece as a whole possesses a dramatic character that foreshadows his "revolutionary" works of the next two decades. However, the Piano Sonata also serves as an example of Strauss' greatest compositional challenge at that time: the problem of so-called "empty repetition." Strauss, bound to Classical form in this and other early works, was constantly faced with the problem of repetition, adhering so closely to the principles of sonata form that thematic repetition became forced and contrived. Despite these issues, the Piano Sonata is a fascinating example of the conflict between expression and form toward the end of the Romantic era.

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