Piano Sonatas (Boulez) - Second Piano Sonata

Second Piano Sonata

The Second Piano Sonata of 1947–48 is an original work which gained Boulez an international reputation. The pianist Yvette Grimaud gave the world premiere on 29 April 1950 (Nattiez 1993, 37). Through his friendship with the American composer John Cage, the work was performed in the U.S. by David Tudor in 1950 (Nattiez 1993, 77–79). The work is in four movements, lasting a total of about 30 minutes. It is notoriously difficult to play, and the pianist Yvonne Loriod "is said to have burst into tears when faced with the prospect" of performing it (Fanning, David. ).

1. "Extrêmement rapide" (extremely fast)
2. "Lent" (slow)
3. "Modéré, presque vif" (moderate, almost lively)
4. "Vif" (lively)