Organ Sonata #2 premiere

Pic courtesy of Merus Sounds

Organ Sonata #2 received a brilliant premiere at St Patrick’s Basilica, Fremantle on Monday 5 June. The piece was written for Australian organist Dominic Perissonotto way back before Covid, then had a long gestation before receiving a public airing. Dominic was Director of Music at the Basilica for many years, so was right at home on his old instrument.

The Sonata is based on tritones, and the way they can release harmony in exciting ways. Traditional classical tropes such as Lydian mode, whole tone scales and augmented chords are blended with contemporary thinking, including tritone substitutions, minimalism, and cluster chords in the feet.

The event was part of the ‘Winter Pipes’ series organised and recorded by Merus Sound. My Sonata shared airtime with composers such as Bach, Debussy and Duruflé.