Ustvolskaya: Piano Sonata No.3

Introduction

Sonata No. 3 (1952) is Ustvolskaya's longest out of the six. The work is based on three unresolved melodies, all presented within the first four minutes. According to Thom Jurek, the melodies "hang there, like prayers extended in supplication and as yet unanswered. This sonata is ever waiting upon the sweep of divine intervention yet continues dutifully, persistently in its sweetness as if not convinced it's already not too late. It engages silence at its end, as the last statement of mystery, without wonder or expectation, its part in the spiritual equation complete." The one-movement work has many tempo indications, but retains a brutal and obsessive quarter-note drive.