The Official Edward Gregson Web Site

• Genre: Instrumental
• Date of Composition: 1983
• Commission information: Richard Deering with funds from the Arts Counil of Great Britain
• Piece Duration: 17
• Publisher: Novello

My Piano Sonata was written in 1983 and is dedicated 'to Michael Tippett, with admiration' It is, in fact, Tippett's 2nd Piano Sonata which is the starting point for this work. The one movement structure consists of alternating Tempi (or blocks of music) which are constantly juxtaposed in a mosaic-like pattern. Each of the six Tempi has its own clearly defined musical character - from the opening rising arpeggios to strident octave figurations, from dance-like patterns to slow and rather sombre chords. These are moulded into a tri-partite form similar to the statement-development-recapitulation format, which is common to conventional sonata forms. It is, however, the dramatic nature of sonata form which is the main concern of my Sonata and it is, more than any other consideration, which provided the connection with Tippett and, of course, Beethoven.

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