Van der Roost, J :: Sonatina Piccola

Sonatina Piccola, by composer Jan Van der Roost, was commissioned by - and is dedicated to - Peter Verhoyen, a magnificent flautist as well as an advocate of the piccolo on the international stage. In three contrasting movements, the piccolo is presented in all its facets. The Ballata Malincolica features some melodic passages and makes the small instrument sing as well as lament. The somewhat sad undercurrent of this first movement disproves the prevailing idea that the piccolo was predestined for merry and playful music - here, another picture is painted. In the Pagoda Pentatonica, oriental sounds are introduced: just like the flute, the piccolo has distant relatives in Asian regions and the exotic echoes in this movement explore this aspect of the piccolo, in particular by means of special playing techniques, fourth harmonies, and (of course) pentatonic melody lines. The passage in which the soloist has to sing and play at the same time is unusual and creates a special atmosphere. The sparkling Finale Frizzante is a wonderful challenge for the soloist as well as the pianist. With this virtuosic and spectacular piece of energy, the triptych, a beautiful homage to the piccolo, is concluded in a suitable manner. In this work, the pianist is a fully-fledged musical partner whose part is as important as that of the protagonist: thus, this 'small sonata' is diverse in musical content but also homogenous as a concept.