Sonate pour piano, Op. 1 (Piano Sonata)

Dutilleux's only piano sonata and his self-designated Op. 1 — the first work he considered representative of his mature standards. Composed 1947–48 and dedicated to his wife, the pianist Geneviève Joy, who gave the première on 30 April 1948. Three movements: I. Allegro con moto, II. Lied, III. Choral et variations. One of the most acclaimed piano sonatas of the post-war era, it synthesises French Impressionism with the rigour of Bartók and Prokofiev while arriving at a thoroughly individual language. The third movement's Choral frames four variations of growing intensity before returning transformed. Duration approximately 22–25 minutes.