Piano

Piano Works

Sonatas

I 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'.

I - Presto
II - Lament
III - Lento e sostenuto
IV - Waltz

Wonderful Sonata! Wonderful Sonata!”
John Ogdon

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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

Sonata No. 10 - 'In A Black Wind The Cloister Bell Rings'
New Work for 2022

(sketch by Mervyn Peake)

Ragged Time

Four Rags for piano solo composed in deference to Scott Joplin

A Birthday Rag
Changeable Weather
A Jammy Rag
Bright and Breezy

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. (A Birthday Rag was also transcribed for silver band - see Brass.)

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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
7 Awkward Dances

The Musical Box Suite

The Musical Box
The Little Ballerina Dance
The Singing Wood
The Many-Layered Russian Doll

CD recording of -
Haflidi's Pictures
piano soloist - Mark Tanner
Contains the premiere recording of
The Musical Box Suite

"Film-like simplicity."
Colin MacIntyre (The Scotsman)

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!
Homages (Suite to various composers)
Five Gentle Studies for Right Hand
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'

Movements in Time - 17 short pieces for the beginner pianist
(approx Grade 1-3 standard)

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Save Our Venusian Souls
Preludes Book 2
Sakura - 'Cherry Blossoms' New Work
ex cathedra - 4:51 New Work
Inner Reflection No.1
Two Estampes
Scherzo in memory of Poulenc - 3:11

Orchestra