Matthew Quayle, Composer-Pianist: Miniatures and Meditations

Composer-Pianist Matthew Quayle (Visiting Assistant Professor of Music) will present an eclectic recital of original solo piano music. Quayle will begin by exploring the art of the musical miniature. What can be said in just a minute or two of music? How can small forms be juxtaposed to tell a larger story? The program will include Quayle’s playful Baroque-inflected suite Antiques and his elegiac Memorial Suite. These collections of short works veer from the comedic to the tragic and back, combining lyrical expression with virtuosic explosivity. In contrast, the second half of the recital will explore a more expansive and patient approach to musical narrative: the piano sonata. Quayle will begin with Sonata No. 4, a meditative piece that barely rises above a whisper. He will then present the world premiere of Sonata No. 5, a work whose introspection often overflows with jazzy exuberance.