Sonata No 4 op 60

Hinted at in his second Sonata and developed in the third, Kapustin’s fourth Piano Sonata, op. 60, is an exercise in expanded tonality. This comprises the idea of a composition revolving around a twelve-tone, rather than a traditional 8-tone, scale. There is a lesser sense of major and minor key and less of a distinction between diatonic and chromatic figuration. Like all his other compositions the Sonata is heavily influenced by Jazz idioms, and the whole work gives the impression of being an exercise in improvised, progressive jazz.