Piano Suite Op. 1 (Crossland)
Movements
i A ii B iii C iv D
Notes
Written in my first year at the Royal College of Music (1988) Piano Suite Op 1 is in Four short movements. First premiered at College by Julian Saphier. My composition teacher Edwin Roxburgh wanted me to change my style from pastiche to more contemporary and this was my first attempt at writing modern music. At the time I was learning Bartok’s Piano Suite Op 14 with my piano professor Peter Wallfisch, I used this piece as a roll model to help me get started. When writing the third movement I felt as if I was writing something that I’d heard before. It was a few days later that realised that my thematic idea was from a song called Umpa, Umpa (Stick it up Your Jumper)
Today’s recital gives me the opportunity in performing my Piano Suite in public for the first time. I hope that you like it!