Description
1. September Sunlight
2. Thamesnight
3. Kaleidoscope – Matinée Musicale
These three piano pieces date from the autumn of 1981. The titles refer to actual events of that time; number 1, a sunset on the North Downs in Kent, number 2 a rain-interrupted firework display on the South Bank, where the “Thames” theme, similar to Smetana’s “Vltava” theme, is transformed into a half-stated opening of Brahms’s 4th symphony in the quiet G major coda. Number 3 was written after a matinee performance of Richard Rodney Bennett’s Isadora. The kaleidoscope is a satirical treatment of Bennett’s dance pastiches, especially the tango.
The sound sample is Sketch No 3 performed by David Martin
The complete CD of Impressionist Sketches, Bagatelles and Tentative Tango, performed by David Martin, can be obtained from iTunes at:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bagatelles-expressionist-sketches/id619860635