piece. The piano sounds terrific and your playing is wonderful. I like the dynamic range of the song - the changes in volume and speed - and I love the mood of the piece. It feels like movement to me, perhaps a journey, metaphorical or otherwise. Very nicely done. You are an outstanding musician and composer. Always a pleasure to hear something new from you. Peace.

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Wonderful as always coming from you Mr. Paul
Such great feelings in each note you played and I'm enjoying it very much. Can't wait to hear the next 2 movements of it... KUDOS! Thanks for sharing.

Take Care
- Yeman A. Al-Rawi

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Excellent piece ..the elements on this just so
diffrent mainly cos its in minor scale whcih you
always gave new bounderies for your music sound .
fabulous layers youve done here .I m enjoyin this
so much my friend thnx alot for sharin such gem !

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If I may say so. Tchaik like opening chords - Russe overtones perhaps (especially when the Romantic melody comes in). And yet some of your phrasing - and cadences - have a late classical feel (for instance, the build up to the descending arpeggios toward the end. Sometimes the bass notes are slightly reminiscent of Berlioz' first L'Arlessienne Suite. These reflections are intended to be highly complimentary - as your work is most impressive!

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wow Paul - this is the real thing. I can totally imagine having had this assigned to me to learn by my piano teacher! (And then she would've said "back off, back off - quietly, quietly here". And I would've said "I AM playing as quietly as I CAN!") And so it went. This is fabulous Paul - the masters have nothing on you!

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and easily listen 24 hours a day. I waited for this and it was well worth the wait. Now I can wait on the next one. Be quick. I want 'em all. Truly enjoyable, Paul! Thanks for sharing. Terry

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I enjoyed listening to your sonata. The atmosphere is very nice and the playing is beautiful as well. I'm curious though about the form, it doesn't seem to follow the typical sonata format. First theme in g minor, but no second in B flat major? And it seems to be a development from the beginning. I would love to know the musical form you used, could you maybe give some info about this? (I'm to much a form composer... I know, maybe I should lose up a little bit!) Love to hear the other 2 movements.

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Well, my understanding is that the so-called "sonata form" has morphed considerably since the days of Mozart and Beethoven. The Romantics and neo-classicists came up with a much broader interpretation than something absolutely structure with exposition, development, recapitulation. ... As for my own writing, I am influenced by just about everything and tend to find a rhythm and melodic motifs that I keep revisiting. So, in a sense, maybe everything I write is a rondo! Whatever it is, I've chosen to call these three movements a sonata because the general concept of the movements AS A WHOLE is somewhat larger than my usual train of thought. I look at them as a package that provides an effect. I am not so concerned about a "classical" rendering of sonata form. At the end of the day, who cares anyway? I'm just hopeful that whoever listens finds a few minutes of enjoyment and entertainment. After all, why write anything otherwise?
Peace.
Paul

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I apologize for belaboring a point, but labels are usually descriptive in some way, so if, for example, someone writes a piece called a fugue that has no imitative counterpoint, it would be a tad perplexing. Although, of course, any composer is free to give their piece whatever title they wish!

Sonata form has actually changed very little in the large sense since the classical period of Mozart and Beethoven; structurally, sonata form movements by Brahms, Bartok, R. Strauss, Hindemith, Shostakovich, and even Schoenberg, all follow a remarkably similar sonata principle, albeit with numerous original twists and turns along the way.

There are two basic qualities that all sonata form movements that I know of possess: (1) the exposition-development-recapitulation structure (although there is much flexibility within the last two sections; developments can range from very short (in which case it is often called a sonatina) to very long, and, although they generally 'develop' earlier themes, they sometimes introduce new thematic material, and recapitulations sometimes bring themes back in a different order, or omit some themes, or bring back themes with slight variations; and (2) the pitch-center contrasts as well as the relative harmonic stability vs. instability of different sections. Thus, the exposition presents harmonically stable material in one key, then uses harmonic instability to modulate to a new key where things stabilize again, the development usually touches on a variety of keys, and conveys an overall sense of harmonic instability (although many developments have temporary 'islands' of stability along the way), while the recap is generally the most stable of all sections, although here too some composers took liberties and put in brief modulations, but always ending up in the home key or pitch center.

Indeed, it is because of this tremendous flexibility that some theorists have proposed using the term sonata 'principle' rather than 'form.' Yes, the exposition-development-recap structure is virtually always followed, but within each section there is great freedom to do different things.

I know I've gone on WAY too long, and I apologize once again!

And none of this is intended in any way to detract from the fact that you have written a lovely composition, and played it exquisitely!

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I think I'll leave the argument about sonata form to you and Andreas :-)

For me this was a marvelous journey through textures and styles.

Exquisite playing and hugely enjoyable.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

Dick

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First you had to write it, then you had to PLAY it, and record it into the bargain...

This sounds as full, clear, well-formed and professional as anyone could wish, I think.

Feels very live and alive, to me. You and Ivory. Ya oughta be a featured artist for that company...

Ed

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It's a lovely piece, played exquisitely, as is always the case with you, Paul! Stylistically, it's just slightly unsettling to me (and only me, probably!), because it leaps about in its references, as indicated by Luna Trick; strong echoes of Tchaikovsky pno cto #1 in the opening, followed immediately by the 5-note ascending scalar runs in 8ves that for some reason reminded me of Beethoven, although I'm not exactly sure what-- could be the 8ve runs at the start of the Allegro section of op. 111, first movement, or perhaps the opening to op. 10#2 (solid chords repeated followed by a quick decorative flourish in the RH, repeated) -- and towards the end there is a passage that reminds me a bit of the French romantic period -- perhaps this is the "L'Arlesienne" reference that Luna Trick hears (which is by Bizet, not Boulez, of course).

But the biggest question I have about this is the one posed by Mr. Vanharen, namely, I am confused as to how this is a sonata? While I hear various tonicizations (cadences on different scale degrees), I'm not sure I hear any lasting modulations in this; whenever my ears hear what I am expecting to be a section in a new key, you bring it back to G minor in fairly short order, or at least that's how it feels.

I say again that these concerns are probably of little import to 99% of the people who will hear this and be moved by the musicianship, exquisite performance, and melodic inventiveness that you so skillfully demonstrate!

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This is yet another beautiful piece of piano music written and played by you.

I await the other movements with eager anticipation.

As far as sonata-form is concerned, can and worms come to mind. To me sonata is just a word, and if there's no development of form then music could become too stereotyped. Whet if Beethoven and Mozart hadn't taken their musical bull's by the horns?? We'd have hundreds more Baroque-formed pieces rather than a rich movement and development over the centuries.

Moving on and development and experimentation all enrich the musical world and the species. Without these we'd become extinct and music would become variations on a form rather than variations on a theme.

Take care.

Paul

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First off, I'll get my minor nit pick out of the way... that is that this recording seems to be slightly lower volume than other music on this site, so I had to turn the volume up a bit to hear it. I am assuming there was still some headroom for you to boost this without clipping, and without using a compressor (don't do that!) but perhaps you did have this as high as you dared. This *does* have a lot of dynamic range in your playing, so it may be just fine as is. And I personally LOVE the fact that this goes from "pp" to "fff"! Also, despite the previously noted fact that you do blend some very delicious Beethoven-esque style strength with some more Romantic-era washes, you do *not* wander into 20th century territory (as you've done in some of your other fusion pieces), so this was not jarringly anachronistic to me at all... I actually liked the subtle juxtaposition. I look forward to Mvt. 2 & 3 with great anticipation. So wonderfully written and played, as usual.
ttfn,
Drakonis

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I knew you keep making awesome music, but didn't realize you were one of the great classical componists. You should have told us. And how did you manage the time travel.

Splendid. So much listening joy !

Johannes

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don't know much Musicology... but I do know what is good to my ears... and this is it.

Sonata, Cantata or Pi�ata, it doesn't much matter to me. This rose is pretty sweet and I'll leave it at that.

Now you serious music boys go have your fun. ;)


--- Joe

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Soft touch and the expressive, fast, slow, and everything in between.

Not enough on MJ in the charts! Lost of real beauty. We need more on MJ! We really do.

Your playing has the maturity of somebody that has played for a long time with real professionalism.

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I didn't mean lost, I mean "lots" on real beauty.

Sorry!

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This is what I need right now... I have saved this for a special moment and that is now.... And I am so satisfied I have a big smile on my face right now... And just follow the song it is very uplifting a happy composing too me... Just when I needed that.. Thanks Paul.

Take care, peace, love & respect.
---
Kenta

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about the technical stuff, the styles, the ups, the downs, the inside outs. I just loved listening to it! Wonderful piece Paul.

God bless,

Rick



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I was wondering when the romantic in you was going to surface!

Careful, now, Paul...your training is showing...

Thanks for the download...great piece...

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form doesn't seem to be typical Sonata form but it doesn't make any difference.Beautiful music played with amazing skill!

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