Choral Sonata

In 2000, Medici Choir commissioned John to compose a choral work to mark its Golden Jubilee the following year. The result was Choral Sonata, a choral realisation of Beethoven's exquisite piano sonata in A flat (opus 110).

Choral Sonata is written for mixed (SATB) choir and piano. The piano part is exactly as Beethoven left it, and interwoven with this are contrapuntal choral lines based on the sonata's themes. Some passages, like the fugues, work best as simple transcriptions, while others give scope for the introduction of fresh material, such as the 'German Dance' in the scherzo. This marriage between choir and piano has also, in effect, created a new choral work by Beethoven, a composer underrepresented in this particular genre!

To listen to an excerpt of the first movement click here.

To view a sample of the sheet music click here.

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