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- Edward Gregson
A Song for Sue (2020)
- Novello & Co Ltd (World)
Programme Note
In 1966, when I was a 3rd year student at London’s Royal Academy of Music, I composed and premiered my ‘Concertante for Piano and Brass Band’, a work dedicated to Sue, my wife-to-be. Some 55 years later, whilst preparing for a recording of my complete music for solo piano on the Naxos label, I decided to make an arrangement of the main theme from the 2nd movement of that work for inclusion on the recording – thus A Song for Sue was born and is also dedicated to the love of my life!
Edward Gregson 2024
Media
Scores
Reviews
The composer’s first attempt at concerto-writing was a Concertante for Piano and Brass Band. It was, in fact, an engagement present for his wife-to-be, where Gregson has fashioned the main theme from the slow movement into yet another enchanting little number, nocturne-like in style, and imbued with some lovely little modal touches in the melodic line. The music becomes more passionate, before falling back into the gentle lyricism of the opening. If wife-to-be Sue had any slight reservation about her forthcoming marriage, Gregson’s wonderfully persuasive rendition here would have induced a great sense of reassuring euphoria, as indeed, it still does, when hearing it for the first time some 55 years down the road.
The music is warm and affectionate with, unless my ears deceive me, an occasional touch of Blues in the harmonies.
Here the lush romanticism and expansive harmonies with light-bluesy touches lend the piece the cinematic colours of Maurice Jarre’s best scores, or even (the later) John Barry.
….nocturne-like in style, and imbued with some lovely little modal touches in the melodic line. The music becomes more passionate, before falling back into the gentle lyricism of the opening.