| Piano Sonata | |
|---|---|
| by Henri Dutilleux | |
| Dedication | Geneviève Joy |
| Performed | 30 April 1948 |
| Movements | three |
Henri Dutilleux's Piano Sonata (1947–1948) was his only piano sonata. It is dedicated to and premiered by his wife Geneviève Joy on 30 April 1948.[1][2] The Piano Sonata has since become one of the most acclaimed post-World War II works in the genre[1][3] and has been championed by major pianists such as John Ogdon, Robert Levin, John Chen and Claire-Marie Le Guay.
Although Dutilleux had been active as a composer for ten years when he wrote his piano sonata, he viewed it as his Opus 1, the first work that he considered up to his mature standards.[2][4] Debussy, Ravel,[4] Bartók and Prokofiev[5] have been cited as influences on the piece although critics have also stressed that its language is original and distinctive,[4][6] a personal synthesis of French Impressionism and Soviet music.[7]