The Sonata for Trumpet & Piano aims to fill a gap in the repertoire with a modern 'popular' piece which whilst taking a respectful nod to the great trumpet works of Hindemith and Arutiunian, more generally takes its inspiration from the genre of film music. The 1st movement is a determined and agitated affair, followed by a calmer reflective middle movement, ending with a lively and ultimately triumphant final movement.

The C trumpet will likely be the preferred choice for most and indeed the piece was composed with this instrument in mind, though the middle movement (which can be potentially performed as a stand-alone piece) may lend itself to the Bb trumpet or even Flugelhorn. The D trumpet part makes some of the technical passages easier on the fingers, and may be useful for the player who can make a suitably full sound on the instrument. The piano part, whilst undoubtedly being an accompaniment in places, was always conceived as an equally important part to the trumpet, and I hope the pianist will also find the piece engaging and enjoyable to play.

The following programme notes were written for the premiere of the piece in 2019 by Emily Mitchell, a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, in her final year recital, after which minor revisions of the piece were undertaken. The following is suggestive only, and I invite the players (and listeners) to find their own story as they see fit. "The 1st movement begins aggressively and without invitation, and a struggle soon develops (possibly of a life or death nature!). The struggle continues relentlessly through to the bruising and abrupt end. Lucky to escape the earlier encounter maybe, the 2nd movement starts cautiously but develops into an optimistic joyous waltz. After a momentary wobble, the movement heads resolutely to its conclusion, gently giving way to the mystery and uncertainty of what is to come. Battle is inevitably joined again in the 3rd movement, but this time with a feeling of renewed optimism. A moment of doubt returns, before a final determined drive to the triumphant finale brings the work to a close".