Album

Pierre Boulez composed his first two piano sonatas between 1946 and 1948 in what was still his formative period: grappling with the conflicting influences of Olivier Messiaen and René Leibowitz, Boulez had yet to find a distinctive voice and the methods that would give him greater flexibility. As assured and forceful as these early serial works are, their aphoristic phrasing, concentrated gestures, and abrupt interruptions point to Boulez's discontentment with form and seem rather constrained in invention. The Piano Sonata No. 3, however, is a mature work from 1955-1957, composed after Boulez had developed his practice of constant row regeneration and had begun composing open-ended formants, or modules, rather than directional movement forms. These discoveries give the sonata an expansiveness and variety lacking in the previous works. Furthermore, the performer is free to choose not only the sequence of events, but also which sections to perform. Under the composer's supervision, pianist Paavali Jumppanen has selected Formant 2: Trope and Formant 3: Constellation-Miroir and plays them with clarity, nuanced execution, and relaxed timing. As a result, the Sonata No. 3 feels more personally expressive than the other two sonatas, though Jumppanen's readings of them are competent and far from sterile. DG's sound quality is superb.

© Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

CD 1
Pierre Boulez Composer Piano Sonata No.1 Work 9:43 Paavali Jumppanen Piano
1	1.Lent	5:05			$0.99
2	2.Assez large	4:38			$0.99
Pierre Boulez Composer Piano Sonata No.2 Work 31:05 Paavali Jumppanen Piano
3	1.Extrêmement rapide	6:04			$0.99
4	2.Lent	11:42			$1.99
5	3.Modéré, presque vif	2:32			$0.99
6	4.Vif	10:47			$1.99
Pierre Boulez Composer Piano Sonata No.3...1.Trope Work 7:36 Paavali Jumppanen Piano
7	1a.Parenthèse: Nettement au-dessous de Lent (attacca):	2:32			$0.99
8	1b.Trope: Glose. Lent (attacca):	1:25			$0.49
9	1c.Commentaire. Nettement moins lent (attacca):	2:19			$0.99
10	1d.Texte. Presque lent	1:20			$0.49
Pierre Boulez Composer Piano Sonata No.3...2.Constellation-Miroir Work 11:20 Paavali Jumppanen Piano
11	2a.Mélange points et blocs: Modéré. Vif	0:27			$0.49
12	2b.Points 3: Suspendu	1:43			$0.49
13	2c.Blocs 2: Lent	3:24			$0.99
14	2d.Points 2: Suspendu	1:58			$0.49
15	2e.Blocs 1: Vif	3:05			$0.99
16	2f.Points 1: Suspendu	0:43			$0.49