Born in Vienna in 1902, Austrian composer, conductor, and pianist Karl Pilss is known mostly for his works for brass instruments, many for the Brass Choir of Vienna, which commissioned several composers for new pieces. Those by Pilss include sonatas and concertos for several brass instruments in the late-Romantic style of composers such as Richard Strauss. Characteristics of this style include lengthy, spun-out melodies along with harmonies that still reference the "traditional" triadic harmony of the classical and early romantic periods, but positioned more freely with additions of extra pitches.
The Sonata For Trumpet and Piano was written for Helmut Wobisch, then the principal trumpet player of the Vienna Philharmonic. The Sonata is in three movements. The first movement, marked Allegro Appassionato, begins with a stately piano introduction, presently echoed in the opening of the solo trumpet. The first movement is filled with active piano material under a flowing, legato trumpet solo line. Its ending recalls the stately openings of both instruments. The serene second movement, Adagio, molto cantabile, features a duet between the trumpet and a melody in the right-hand of the piano accompaniment. The calm atmosphere is interrupted by an unexpected change in texture, similar in style to the opening gestures of the first movement, before returning back to the calm, opening material. Note that Pilss achieves different sounds through the use of a mute in this movement. The third and final movement, Allegro agitato, again combines an active piano accompaniment with a mixture of legato and fanfare-like motives in the trumpet solo for an exciting finish.
Program Notes are by Kyle Blaha, a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at The Juilliard School and faculty member in the Juilliard Pre-College and Evening Division.