FEDERICO IBARRA (b.1946): Piano Sonatas 0 - VII.

Description: Like his symphonies, Ibarra's piano sonatas form a compelling, evolving series. The first two find the composer seeking his mature voice; "No.0” is a student work, heavily indebted to Prokofiev, and No.1 is an exercise in experimenting with a kind of sonorism, with extended techniques and a degree of aleatoric freedom. Both are accomplished works of their type, but neither is representative of Ibarra's mature style, which emerges in No.2, written 9 years before the 1st Symphony. A succinct single span, strongly based in tonality, it abounds in the dramatic gestures and propulsive energy that characterises much of the composer’s symphonic writing. As with the symphonies, the early sonatas are progressively more expansive; the 3rd is in three movements and derives its impressive dramaturgy on its basis in Ibarra’s opera on The Devils of Loudun. Impressionistic scene-setting, violent, intense drama and obsessive ostinato figuration; variations on a bell-like chorale; and breathless action leading to a truncated dénouement form a satisfying cyclic structure. The single-span 4th begins like a continuation of the mechanical ostinati from the previous sonata, but develops along more austere and violent lines, ferociously energetic, with a central section of powerfully tolling bells, after which the sequence of events is reversed in a cyclic structure based on sonata form. The Fifth is another expansive 3-movement work with a mystical, Scriabinesque opening movement which climaxes and transforms into warmer, neo-romantic tones before recapitulating the opening material. An energetic scherzo follows, and here the composer indulges in a device that he enjoys in several of the symphonies - undisguised allusions to romantic models, here Chopin’s "octave" study. The finale first continues the argument of the first movement, and then introduces an ominous ostinato figure which propels the music inexorably toward a monumental, looming climax. No.6 explores music of contrasting character based on the same thematic elements. The first movement is moderately paced, with a diaphanous, filigree first subject and a heavy, tolling second in the deepest bass register, treated as a sonata form structure, while the second movement is a pulsating, motoric toccata. The 4-movement 7th Sonata is the largest and most ambitious work here, and the one with the widest expressive range. The sonata form first movement opens with a declamatory theme in the bass, first used as an ostinato and only gradually employed thematically, while the second subject is based on airy, harp-like arpeggii. A solemn slow movement based on a funereal chord progression punctuated by ethereal, gentle arabesques, follows, and then a sprightly, brusque scherzo with a lyrical, flowing central section. The finale begins with a contrapuntal introduction followed by a powerfully surging passage in quasi-orchestral textures. Impressionistic bells suggest a second subject, followed by a rich, flowing neo-romantic development and an innocent, gentle coda. The "bonus" piece, written for the pianist in 2019 is one of a number of works by Ibarra that deal with sleep, dream, and the delirium of insomnia. The piece abounds in fluid textures and impressionistic harmonies, interrupted, with dreamlike illogic, by a dance episode, after which the music becomes fragmented and uneasy and finally evaporates altogether in a reluctant awakening. 2 CDs. Guadalupe Parrondo (piano).