GRETA
Fifth Piano Sonata composed by Michael Kieran Harvey
Michael Kieran Harvey (piano, keyboard)
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This is Michael Kieran Harvey's fifth piano sonata, heard here in both a conventional piano version, as well as an electric keyboard interpretation. It is sub-titled 'Greta' in recognition of climate change activist Greta Thunberg. It is sub-sub-titled 'Concerto in no need of an orchestra'.
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.
Michael Kieran Harvey: "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. It was written and realised during the 2020 pandemic. 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."
The accompanying poem REGRET is by Arjun von Caemmerer. It selectively catalogues/arranges a small sample of precarious Australian flora and fauna, including some species now lost altogether, and some whose grip on survival appears increasingly tenuous in the face of accelerating climate change.
Hear 'Greta' in both versions, with Arjun von Cammerer's poem 'Regret' as the visual element.
Released July 2020
- Move Records
- MD 3452