Sleeper (piano solo)

Commissioned byJames Wallace Arts Trust for Stephen De Pledge (pf), for his programme Landscape Preludes, 2008 New Zealand International Arts Festival, Sleeper is a short and ebullient work built on minimalist techniques. The opening measures contain a two-note ostinato pattern that forms a static harmonic base from which the work unfolds. A sense of momentum and subsequent departure emerges from the ‘voice-like’ notes, which gracefully evolve into scalic melodies, steering the dynamic and registral development of the piece, and generating a pulse. Lyrical, child-like melodic gestures evoke a sense of exploration and discovery.

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Resources

‍RESEARCHERS: EXPLORE SLEEPER SOLO PIANO AT THE ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY