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“One does not play the piano with one’s fingers, one plays the piano with one’s mind.” Glenn Gould (1932–1982)
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SNAPSHOT
Was there life before the operas? You betcha! Between 1973 and 1982 I composed an eclectic body of songs, instrumentals and film scores. The following piano pieces are from this period. |
My primary goal in producing reference recordings of the piano sonatas is to make pianists aware of my body of work so that one or more champions might emerge who will perform my compositions in public and make recordings of their own.
Sheet music available in PDF file format, upon arrangement.
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"Piano Sonata 1” 1975
Largo - Allegro con spirito Recorded in 2012 (12:02)
Composed at the age of 18, this piece was inspired by the virtuoso piano music of Franz Liszt who was one of my influences as a teenager.
Before Sinatra, Elvis or The Beatles, there was “Lisztomania!” The great German poet Heinrich Heine coined the term “Lisztomania” in 1844 to describe the frenzied female fandom which had swept across Europe.
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"Piano Sonata 2” 1979
Allegro con mosso, ma non troppo Recorded in 2020 (7:21)
I had Chopin on my mind while writing this compact, breezy sonata.
“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”
Frederic Chopin |
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"Piano Sonata 3” 1980
1. Allegro con brio 2. Adagio e mesto 3. Presto agitato Recorded in 2012 (16:25)
The third piano sonata is an ode to my favorite composer—the great innovator and tragic hero, Ludwig Van Beethoven.
"An artist is someone who has learned to trust in himself."
Ludwig Van Beethoven |
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"Piano Sonata 4” 1981
The fourth piano sonata — a bold, lyrical piece in four movements — is the most modern of the four. |
Way back in 1981, I got sidetracked by a film I was scoring and never got around to putting the final polish on the fourth piano sonata. During the pandemic, I reacquainted myself with this work and it is high on my list for revision. I intend to make minimally invasive changes. |
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OPERA | Excerpt From A Score
Between 1982 and 1989, other than sketches for a symphony and a handful of songs, my primary focus was the creation of two crossover operas: Rock ‘n’ Moses (1982-1984; revised 1990-10) and Chasing A Dream: A Backpacker’s Odyssey In Mexico (1983-89). As both these works initially sprang to life as piano/vocal scores, (e.g. Verdi typically rehearsed singers at the piano before orchestrating) and I haven’t been writing much in the way of solo piano music in recent years, I thought that it might be of interest to highlight something from one of the shows, composed after the above sonatas, which has a few sections that could just as well function as a solo piano piece. The following audio file is the opening six minutes (w/o vocals) from the dramatic finale in act three of the Mexico show. |
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For decades now, due to old RSI injuries in my wrists and arms (see “Bio: Body vs Art”), I mostly play the piano with a gentle touch, avoid repetitive wrist movements and try to limit my playing time to composition and recording. So how does one record passionate music without the freedom to attack the keys like a man possessed? Here’s what I do: Sitting at a digital keyboard, I play the music into a computer (triggering Pianoteq virtually modeled piano software [instrument: e.g. Blüthner Model 1, Shigeru Kawai SK-EX]), usually in smaller sections, listening to a click track set at a comfortable tempo. Sometimes I play the passages hands together; at other times, hands separately. Once the performance is adequately captured in my audio software program (as midi data), I edit (i.e. articulation, dynamics, pedaling, phrasing, tempo). Because the sonic sculpting process is very time consuming, I’ve learned to take frequent wellness breaks in order to avoid flare ups. But sometimes, I forget… Best not to forget! For those who are living with a serious injury or daunting medical condition, I’ll give Stephen Hawking, who had a rare early-onset, slow-progressing form of ALS, the last word:
“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”
Stephen Hawking (1942-2018 theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author) |
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Copyright © 2026 Aryeh Har-Even. All rights reserved.
