Piano Sonata #17 in C minor – Wildfire
The "Piano Sonata #17 in C minor" by James Domine is given the subtitle "Wildfire" because the piece is possessed of a fiery temperament that seems to suggest the uncontrolled seasonal inferno that residents of California are so familiar with. The rhythms are jagged and angular, an onomatopoeic metaphor of flames dancing as they burn in a dangerous yet inviting tableau of Mother Nature unleashed in all her savagery.
The sonata opens with the principal theme running wild and free through a largely mixolydian tonal environment, careening through harmonic realms unfettered by diatonic restraint, yet pulled by a sense of gravity to the tonal area surrounding C minor. This melody is balanced by a sentimental romantic subordinate theme, reminiscent of a waltz tune long forgotten imbued with a sense of mystery and enchantment. The ensuing development is a bright scherzo set in stark contrast to the other themes in that it is very light and delicate of texture, a sequential shower of sparks refracted through the prism of fires that spring up on imaginary hillsides in a spontaneous blaze of musical incandescence. With energetic vitality both animated and untamed, a feeling of unrestrained exuberance that is as irresistible as it is dangerous drives the sonata to a close in a blaze of fiery brilliance.
The "Piano Sonata #17 in C minor" by James Domine is given the subtitle "Wildfire" because the piece is possessed of a fiery temperament that seems to suggest the uncontrolled seasonal inferno that residents of California are so familiar with. The rhythms are jagged and angular, an onomatopoeic metaphor of flames dancing as they burn in a dangerous yet inviting tableau of Mother Nature unleashed in all her savagery.
The sonata opens with the principal theme running wild and free through a largely mixolydian tonal environment, careening through harmonic realms unfettered by diatonic restraint, yet pulled by a sense of gravity to the tonal area surrounding C minor. This melody is balanced by a sentimental romantic subordinate theme, reminiscent of a waltz tune long forgotten imbued with a sense of mystery and enchantment. The ensuing development is a bright scherzo set in stark contrast to the other themes in that it is very light and delicate of texture, a sequential shower of sparks refracted through the prism of fires that spring up on imaginary hillsides in a spontaneous blaze of musical incandescence. With energetic vitality both animated and untamed, a feeling of unrestrained exuberance that is as irresistible as it is dangerous drives the sonata to a close in a blaze of fiery brilliance.
The "Piano Sonata #17 in C minor" by James Domine is given the subtitle "Wildfire" because the piece is possessed of a fiery temperament that seems to suggest the uncontrolled seasonal inferno that residents of California are so familiar with. The rhythms are jagged and angular, an onomatopoeic metaphor of flames dancing as they burn in a dangerous yet inviting tableau of Mother Nature unleashed in all her savagery.
The sonata opens with the principal theme running wild and free through a largely mixolydian tonal environment, careening through harmonic realms unfettered by diatonic restraint, yet pulled by a sense of gravity to the tonal area surrounding C minor. This melody is balanced by a sentimental romantic subordinate theme, reminiscent of a waltz tune long forgotten imbued with a sense of mystery and enchantment. The ensuing development is a bright scherzo set in stark contrast to the other themes in that it is very light and delicate of texture, a sequential shower of sparks refracted through the prism of fires that spring up on imaginary hillsides in a spontaneous blaze of musical incandescence. With energetic vitality both animated and untamed, a feeling of unrestrained exuberance that is as irresistible as it is dangerous drives the sonata to a close in a blaze of fiery brilliance.