Itaru Sakai

Sinfonia and Caprice Op. 56

Sinfonia and Caprice is comprised of two contrasting sections. Both sections are characterised by the arrangement of the eight voices into two four-part groups that play in dialogue with each other. The first, slow movement is a Sinfonia in the baroque sense-a majestic opening work. With its dotted rhythms and semiquaver runs, the movement is reminiscent of a French overture. The fast second movement, the Caprice , features an almost unbroken galloping rhythm. In this section an energetic main theme in a minor key plays in alternation with a lyrical subsidiary major theme. The work closes with a triumphant fanfare.