Sergei Prokofiev

Upon hearing what he felt to be an inept two-violin sonata by another composer, Prokofiev resolved to produce an example of his own. The result was the Sonata for 2 violins in C major, Op. 56 (1932), composed of four movements of two-part counterpoint The sonata is less dissonant than most of Prokofiev's works of the 1920s and indicative of the simpler, lyrical style he would increasingly favor.

The Andante cantabile begins with a mysterious solo violin theme akin to the one that opens Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, and also to the clarinet melody at the beginning of his Piano Concerto No. 3. The second violin picks it up and the two instruments wind around each other, introducing a second theme of almost identical character, developing the themes briefly, and ultimately combining them in two joint statements. The ensuing Allegro, in contrast, begins percussively, with one violin then taking up an urgent, angular theme that both instruments develop energetically though at a rather reduced volume, letting themselves go only in the brilliant coda.

The third movement, Commodo (quasi allegretto), is the sonata's most lyrical section. It is a ternary structure based on two themes that are closely related; the effect is that of a slightly nervous lullaby. The finale, Allegro con brio -- Più presto, is a droll rondo with scampering, angular themes for the two instruments; near the end, Prokofiev reintroduces the sonata's opening melody.