Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- Hugh Wood
Three Piano Pieces (1963)
- Chester Music Ltd (World)
Programme Note
1. Lento
2. Energico
3. Calmo
The first piece, Lento, is a long cantilena which, starting calmly, gradually rises to a rhetorical climax. It is flanked by material which serves as an introduction to this tune, and reappears in a varied, shorter form, at the end.
The second place, Energico, is the longest of the three. Best thought of as a rondo, it also has an introduction of a rhetorical, virtuoso nature. The rondo theme first appears in the bass and steadily rises in register. The first episode features continual thrills: the second appearance of the rondo theme is also in the bass, but in a varied form, pianissimo. The second episode is marked calmo, is very lyrical, and is marked by an easing of the tempo towards a more expansive character. The third appearance of the rondo theme, is by contrast, in the highest register of the piano, and descends towards the final tutti section and the recurrence of the introductory material.
The third piece, Calmo, is very short: reminiscent in its material, valedictory in its character.
These pieces were written for my wife, Susan McGaw, to play. They were first performed by her at a recital during the 1963 Cheltenham Festival on 2 July 1963 and she later recorded them for EMI.
© Hugh Wood
2. Energico
3. Calmo
The first piece, Lento, is a long cantilena which, starting calmly, gradually rises to a rhetorical climax. It is flanked by material which serves as an introduction to this tune, and reappears in a varied, shorter form, at the end.
The second place, Energico, is the longest of the three. Best thought of as a rondo, it also has an introduction of a rhetorical, virtuoso nature. The rondo theme first appears in the bass and steadily rises in register. The first episode features continual thrills: the second appearance of the rondo theme is also in the bass, but in a varied form, pianissimo. The second episode is marked calmo, is very lyrical, and is marked by an easing of the tempo towards a more expansive character. The third appearance of the rondo theme, is by contrast, in the highest register of the piano, and descends towards the final tutti section and the recurrence of the introductory material.
The third piece, Calmo, is very short: reminiscent in its material, valedictory in its character.
These pieces were written for my wife, Susan McGaw, to play. They were first performed by her at a recital during the 1963 Cheltenham Festival on 2 July 1963 and she later recorded them for EMI.
© Hugh Wood