Violin Sonata No. 2 exists in two versions – “chamber”, i.e. with piano, and “concert”, i.e. with orchestral accompaniment. In the second version, it received the subtitle “Lament”. It is dedicated to the memory of Fomaida Ivanovna Zalesskaya, an Arkhangelsk Old Believer, a remarkable singer, and an expert in ancient hook writing.

The Second Violin Sonata consists of one very extended section, which essentially unfolds entirely from the brief thematic grains set at the beginning, unfolding slowly and without too sharp contrasts – rather like a single canvas. The development in the sonata can be likened to a curved line, where at the top of the gradually achieved dynamic and semantic rise are two extensive cadenzas – piano and violin – after which the movement occurs in the opposite direction, to the first motives of the work, representing a very freely varied reprise of the opening section. The primary grains-intonations seem to return to their origins and already on the verge of their disappearance a new quality appears – the theme of the demesten chant of Psalm 136 “By the rivers of Babylon”. Here, at the very end, the concentrated, ascetic, often severe musical fabric is illuminated by a soft, warm light.