Work Overview

• Publication Year: 1959
• First Publisher: Editions Musicales Transatlantiques
• Instrumentation: Piano Solo
• Total Performance Time: Approximately 6 minutes

Written as a competition piece for the piano department of the Conservatoire de Paris in 1959, this work is dedicated to the virtuoso Geneviève Joy (wife of Henri Dutilleux). It immediately enters the Allegro scherzando main section after a brief introduction, developing freely in a capricious manner. Typical of a competition piece, a wide variety of techniques are vigorously employed, including alternating chords between the left and right hands, double stops in the right hand, arpeggios, rapid passage work, and octave playing. Detailed figures gradually recede into the background, and a long-breathed melody emerges, gaining in eloquence. The cloudiness of dissonance clears, reaching a bright C major, and the piece concludes in peace and tranquility.Piano Sonata and Thème et variations, leaves a refreshing aftertaste for the listener. It will serve as a challenging showpiece for accomplished performers and students alike.