A dissertation lecture recital of the Greek sonata for piano by Dimitri Mitropoulos: musical interpretation, pianistic challenges, and manuscript limitations

This dissertation lecture recital was on Dimitri Mitropoulos’ Greek Sonata. During this dissertation lecture recital, I presented significant information on this relatively unknown work of the 20th century piano repertoire. I provided important historic background on Mitropoulos’ life and career and explored the compositional significance of the Greek Sonata. I then highlighted the difficulties presented in the manuscript and explained the steps I took to decipher the manuscript. Then, I explored the most important compositional techniques used in this work, focusing on the sense of unity that is created by thematic transformation, and the prominent use of ostinato. Lastly, I gave insight on pianistic considerations, including the interpretation of the work and its pianistic challenges. Throughout this last section, I highlighted the elements that helped me shape my interpretation of the Greek Sonata, to provide helpful information for pianists that consider performing this work. Once the lecture portion concluded, I performed Mitropoulos’ Greek Sonata.