Christopher Norton - Jazz Piano Sonata No. 2

My Jazz Piano Sonata, also available from 80days publishing, was premiered by the late pianist Jovanni-Rey de Pedro in Australia in 2013. The second Piano Sonata was also composed for Jovanni-Rey, but his tragic death meant that it was not performed until it was taken up in 2022 by French-Canadian pianist Roger Lord. This sonata explores a musical language that differs greatly from my other works. The musical material and treatment has elements of Stravinsky, Bartok and Prokofiev, but also of folk music, jazz and Latin American music. The piece is much more virtuosic than any previous works of mine! The sonata is in 4 movements: I. Resolutely – the main idea is in a highly rhythmic 6/8 and the second idea has Arabic overtones. The piece makes much of the interplay between these two ideas. II. Very lively – this is a very dissonant, fast-moving piece, with scales a tone apart and widely spaced sonorities a feature. III. Lyrically – using a Turkish folk-song as a starting point, this weaves tapestries of sound to create something akin to a lament. IV. With energy – again in 6/8 and with a driving beat that propels the sonata to an exciting finish.