Sonata No. 2

Debussy composed his Sonata No. 2 for Flute, Viola and Harp in 1915, immediately after his Sonata No. 1 for cello and piano. By now he had devised a plan for a set of six sonatas for different instrumental combinations, with the last work bringing together all the instruments of the previous five (plus a double bass). Compared to the Cello Sonata’s tight-reined intensity, the Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp reverts to the soft-toned sound world of his earlier impressionist masterworks; but the musical idiom is now sparer, relating to Debussy’s liking for the style of earlier French classical composers. “Pastorale”, the first of the three movements, recalls the poised spaciousness of another musical landscape with a solo flute, Debussy’s orchestral Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, 1894). And the “Interlude” second movement and brisker “Finale” explore further into this musical world of refined elegance and purity.