Piano Works
SonatasI began writing my first four movement Piano Sonata No.1 in 1986 as a student at the Birmingham School of Music (now Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, UK). This was the Sonata that John Ogdon was later to perform and that led to my first piano concerto Piano Concerto No. 1
dedicated - 'in memoriam John Ogdon'. Piano Sonata No.1 I - Presto II - Lament III - Lento e sostenuto IV - Waltz Wonderful Sonata! Wonderful Sonata!” Sonata No.2 (Spirits of Our Age II) was inspired by the Hieronimus Bosch painting 'Christ Carrying the Cross'. Various characters within the painting are musically described in the piece. This sonata introduces the percussive effect of striking the piano beneath the keyboard with the sustain pedal held to create a 'sonic boom'. Sonata No.3 is in four movements and is based on the play between major/minor tonalities.
Sonata No.4 is the shortest of the sonatas to date. It is in one, through-composed movement, and nods the head to Liszt, Prokofiev and Ravel. Sonata No.5 is in three movements and has 'jazzy' elements in the first; even though jazz is not a particular interest of mine (see - Now That's What I Call Jazz!). It also makes use of arpeggiated chords. Sonata No.6 begins in martial fashion with cluster chords played using both forearms. The second and third movements are short. Sonata No.7 is a much lighter work than that makes use of repeated ostinati. In three movements. Sonata No.8 (Enceladus) in three movements, is so subtitled as there are many internal stresses and strains just like Saturn's moon after which it is named. Sonata No.9 is in four movements and begins with a very strong first subject based on the interval of the tritone. The sonata ends with variations on the hymn known as Old Hundredth. |
Piano Sonata No.4 - complete work (premiere performance)
Piano Sonata No.2 - Spirits of Our Age II Christ Carrying the Cross
- Hieronimus Bosch
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Sonata No. 10 - 'In A Black Wind The Cloister Bell Rings'
New Work for 2022
(sketch by Mervyn Peake)
Four Rags for piano solo composed in deference to Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin's wonderful Rags have been with me since childhood. So he was first to mind when I began writing my own rags. Joplin himself had a very tough life though uncharacteristically he was published by a white American, something quite outrageous for the day. Intervallischen Suite
Piano Sonatinas I - XIV Little Sonatina - duration 4:42 Ten More Suites Une Petite Suite de Picardie Five O'Clock Blues & Evening Shadows Various Variations The Musical Box Suite
"Film-like simplicity." |
Noel! Noel!
A seasonal fun piece for four pianists and one piano Endless Counterpoint - 7:45
Now that's what I call jazz! - my shortest work to date to be performed tongue-in-cheek for a - very short encore!
Etudes 1-7 - duration 14:00 Homages (Suite to various composers) Five Gentle Studies for Right Hand Alone - duration 9:00 Hall of Mirrors - ten piano duets for pianist beginners (Grades 1-3) Sonata for two pianos - 'Hridayam' - duration 20:00 Piano Concerto No. 1 - 'in memoriam John Ogdon' Piano Concerto No. 2 - 'In the Flowers of the Sun'  Sakura
Save Our Venusian Souls
Preludes Book 2 Sakura - 'Cherry Blossoms' ex cathedra - 4:51 Inner Reflection No.1 - duration 4:30 Two Estampes - duration 11:00 Scherzo in memory of Poulenc - 3:11 |
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A mixture of piano miniatures from Movements in Time -
(17 short pieces for the beginner pianist - approx Grade 1-3 standard) together with poetry read by Ingrid Prosser. The Grandfather Clock Winds Down Gracefully – from Movements in Time ‘To see a world in a grain of sand’ – William Blake A Little Jewish Dance – from Movements in Time ‘Where the bee sucks’ – (from The Tempest) by Shakespeare Lyric Piece – from Movements in Time ‘Aedh wishes for the cloths of heaven’ – WB Yeats A LIttle March – from Movements in Time ‘White Bird’ (haiku triptych) – by Ingrid Prosser Chinese Dragon – from Movements in Time |
Orchestra