About

Jake Penlington is a pianist whom I have known since my first year at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He approached me to commission a piece to be performed in his final recital on 15th May 2023. In our initial conversation, I had the opportunity to review the repertoire he is accustomed to playing. Given that this piece was intended for his final recital, I deemed it crucial to challenge his technical abilities while exploring aspects of piano playing that he had not previously explored. After analysing Jake’s repertoire, I concluded that a piece or study that explored the use of perfect fourths and fifths would contrast well with his mostly triadic and functional repertoire. As a result, I composed Warm Cold.