Sonata Triad, Op. 11

This group of three one-movement sonatas was dedicated to the memory of Andrey Bratenshi, Medtner’s brother-in-law who committed suicide in 1906. Medtner is at his finest here with his lyricism. The work includes the following epigraph:

And so the heart, disburdened, in a flash

Knows; I endure, and beat, and pound with pleasure!

Gives itself over utterly, in rash

Thanks for the windfall, life. No common treasure.

Then came—could it only last!—that feeling of

Double delight from music and from love.

These are the closing lines of Trilogy of Passion, a long three-part poem by Goethe whose titles help provide further context of the triad of sonatas: To Werther, Elegy, and Atonement. Medtner did not intend for Op. 11 to be performed as a group, but the sonatas clearly follow the structure of Goethe’s poems and are a thoughtful tribute to a close friend.