Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise for piano solo by Marco Galvani.

Programme Notes

Before Sunrise is a short work for piano solo composed for Matthew Schellhorn. I wanted to evoke the sounds of emerging dawn by creating textures that float in and out of focus and move between foreground and background. Sounds of birds echo around the piano, with varying lengths of sustain and decay creating a flexible and mysterious atmosphere. Scattered passages fly across all registers of the piano to mimic flocks of unsettled birds, while other moments focus in on a single melodic fragment. In the middle of the piece we hear an accompanying passage that leads the way for a slower melodic figure, before a number of fleeting climactic figures return to the triplet calls of the opening, reaching out into silence.

- Marco Galvani

Performance Notes

All pedal markings should be followed strictly excepting bars 52-65 in which pedal can be used freely. Dynamics often indicate the shape of a phrase, so they can both indicate phrasing and musical intent, rather than just volume.

Duration: 15 minutes