Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-6

Six piano sonatas composed over forty-three years: No. 1 (1947), No. 2 (1949), No. 3 (1952), No. 4 (1957), No. 5 (1986), and No. 6 (1988). Together they constitute one of the most distinctive bodies of piano sonata writing of the 20th century. The first four are relatively compact; the last two, written after a long compositional silence, are among Ustvolskaya's most extreme and demanding works. All six share the qualities of her mature voice: extreme dynamic contrasts, percussive treatment of the instrument, absolute rejection of ornament, and an insistence on physical and spiritual intensity that has no parallel in the standard concert repertoire.