Sonata for Piano (2013)
(4-Hands)

“But it was with the program’s final selection, Australian composer Stuart Greenbaum’s “Sonata for Piano, Four Hands,” that the overall message of “equality” was reached. Greenbaum’s works for vocal choruses (the more familiar to North American audiences) were indicated in all three movements of this particular work, where each voice projected a quality of sound rarely indicated in modern piano compositions.

In the movement titled “Solar,” one could feel the energic drive of the sun’s power throughout and the movement “The Expanding Universe” equated a Gustav Holst-like trans-Neptunian serenity with more modernistic piano techniques. And the work’s final movement, “Earthrise,” gave additional meaning to the famous photograph taken from the moon’s surface of the Earth in the vastness of space, evoking equality through unity of peaceful purpose.”

“Stuart Greenbaum's Sonata speaks in a pulsating liquid flow with a measure of repetition of note-cells.”

“Stuart Greenbaum’s Sonata for Piano Four-Hands (2013) was commissioned by the Viney-Grinberg Duo and written for them. The composer’s contemplations of the cosmos that inspired the work, described briefly in the liner notes, set the scene for this dazzling new piece. The first movement “Solar” features sonorous chords and constant movement, with repetitive figures in a sparkling interplay of upward and downward motion, soft and loud, creating a feeling of the cyclical nature of our world. The second movement “Expanding Universe” opens with pianissimo figures which develop slowly, fully exploiting the resonant qualities of the piano to induce a fascinating, mesmeric effect. The music shimmers around a sedate three-note theme; sounds become fewer and silences more frequent as we enter the ethereal world of outer space. “Earthrise”, the sprightly third movement, introduces a contrasting mood of fun with unusual, jumpy, syncopated, staccato chords and effervescent accompanying figures which build with growing intensity to a lively conclusion. The Duo approached this imaginative new piece with insight and verve; it will almost certainly become one of their favourites for future performances.”

“Stuart Greenbaum’s Sonata for Piano, 4–Hands takes inspiration from the cosmos, building a language inspired by the relationship between Sun and Earth – at times powerful and domineering, at others contemplative and spacious.”

“The latest, and in many respects most satisfying to date, is a new recording by the Brisbane-based Viney-Grinberg Piano Duo, playing works for piano (four hands) by five Australian composers. Stuart Greenbaum’s three-movement sonata is a 20-minute gem, with some attractive ideas that spin out freely, naturally and persuasively.”