Carr, J -Sonata (2020) for flute and Piano

Whilst deliberately eschewing programmatic titles for this piece, the composer’s response to a tumultuous year is nonetheless vividly theatrical, and excitingly virtuosic for both flute and piano. Driving jazz rhythms and questing melody flow through the three connected movements, running the gamut of emotions from frustration, through lassitude, to hope.  (Alternative endings are given enabling the movements to be played separately.)

Listen to the whole Sonata here, played by Andy Findon

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lgP35-86zjxthkNgPjfqnCWDuXnYksaY/view?usp=sharing

Born in Leeds, Jason studied composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He won the 1988 Vivian Ellis Prize for young writers of musicals, leading to the invitation from Sir Peter Hall to compose the musical Born Again at Chichester Festival Theatre in 1990. He was Associate Composer at
Chichester from 2003 to 2005, and was nominated in the Stage Works category of the British Composer Awards for Six Pictures of Lee Miller in 2006.
As an orchestrator, he won New York’s Drama Desk Award for the 2007 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, was nominated twice for the Tony Award, and for London’s Olivier Award in 2020.

Grading: 7 to 9

Duration: 8'34

Composer: Carr, J.

Instrumentation: Flute and Piano