Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

One of the most extraordinary developments in recent years has been the emergence of a young spokesperson for the coming generations, those who will have to deal with the climate catastrophe caused by humans. Her name is Greta Thunberg and her story is well-known. I hope that the current crop of political liars and climate catastrophe deniers is speedily replaced by the likes of Greta, who see the state of the planet clearly and are unafraid to act, even to the extent of putting their own lives and dreams on hold. This sonata is an atonement from my generation to Greta's, hence the dedication to my two children, and is formed through a sequence of hermeneutic windows based on the letters of her first name. The rhetorical nature of the piece suggests a concerto, but in this case the soloist is truly alone, courageously presenting their arguments in the face of indifference, ridicule and hatred. The work is in five sections. The possibility of using an electric keyboard, hopefully deriving power from a renewable source, frees the Sonata/Concerto from the domain of the concert grand piano with its connotations of upper class luxury and collusion with conservatism. This versatility gives the work a further connection to the protean vision of its namesake.