Seven Fugues for piano Op13
Composer's note
The opposite of a swan song, these pieces, completed between
June 1978 and June 1981, were written during the last three of
eight long years at boarding school at Worcester. They bear witness
to a broadening of horizons and a flowering of creativity.
The music reflects in:-
Fugue 1 the enlightenment and inspiration of meeting Felix
Aprahamian, my musical mentor, and his request that it be playable
on piano, harpsichord or organ;
Fugue 2 my fascination with Armenian language and culture,
also my piano studies with James Gibb;
Fugue 3 introspection about my father, as well as the
mysterious thrill of winter;
Fugue 4 an exuberance at academic challenges, the prospect
of Cambridge University, and my revelatory visits to study in
Paris with André Marchal;
Fugue 5 resignation after Marchal's death, and more pensive
anticipation of Cambridge;
Fugue 6 my new friendship with Dorothy Smythe, fellow
'exile' in Worcester, and devotee of Bach, Handel, Brahms and
literature;
Fugue 7 the onset of a sharp and unexpected wistfulness
at my immenent departure from Worcester - hence this Epilogue's
last backward glance over the themes from all the Fugues.
Duration: about 19 minutes
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