Sonata Andina No. 2

Especially written for Soyeon Kate Lee, Sonata Andina No. 2 is inspired by the distinctly Andean concept of mestizaje as championed by Peruvian folklorist José Maria Arguedas (1911-1969) whereby cultures can co-exist without one subjugating another. Allusions to the rhythms and harmonies of the mountain music of my mother's homeland of Perú abound, albeit freely transformed in the blender of my personal imagination. The opening "mountain" scherzo is followed by a call-and-response between a hymn and poignant tremolo calls from a charango, the Andean ukelele. The last movement is combative and muscular, an "escaramuza" which loosely translates to "skirmish."