“Nancy Galbraith’s Piano Sonata No. 2 is a fun piece to play.”
On June 9, soloist Eric Fung premieres Galbraith’s new Piano Sonata No. 2 at Lebanon Valley College (Anneville, PA). The three-movement, 15-minute work was commissioned by the 2017 Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association State Conference, which will feature the first performance. Fung continues. “The first movement is full of rhythmic wonders (I particularly love playing the ‘swing’ section). The beautiful second movement explores a palette of tonal colors from the instrument; and, the grand finale is simply exuberant!”
Galbraith offers an overview of her new work. “Movement No. 1 is infused with American-sounding harmonies and syncopated, dancing rhythms. The second movement was written during a time of great personal tragedy and loss. Although not specifically programmatic, the atmosphere of melancholy and longing are present. Movement No. 3 is a frolicking scherzo. The final section follows a playful, staccato 7/8 section [and] ends with a flourish as in the beginning.”
Galbraith’s earlier work, Piano Sonata No. 1 (a three-movement, 15-minute piece), premiered in 1998 performed by Jocelyn Chapman at Carnegie Mellon University’s Mellon Institute.