The combination of cantabile elements and tight staccato rhythm, typical of Shchedrin's piano music, makes this 'little' sonata an effective, yet quite easily playable piece. It is unmistakable that this music has been written by a pianist who knows how to use the instrument. A virtuoso pianist himself, Shchedrin has often performed his piano works, including concertos, sonatas and 24 preludes and fugues, himself. The 'Sonatina' is dedicated to Shchedrin's wife, the famous prima-ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, and was performed for the first time in Moscow in 2005 as a birthday present.