Youth

Both graceful and energetic, Cole depicts the protagonist setting sail towards a distant palace, enveloped by the luscious flora of summer. The palace evokes Greco-Roman architecture with a notable Mughal-styled dome, reflecting a juvenile yearning for knowledge and transcendence. This was the main concept I hoped to convey, and so I adopted an étude-like configuration, opening with fervent semiquaver chords in the right hand whilst the melody is carried by the left. This piece underwent extensive revision over the course of eight months. The section beginning at bar 74, which was composed between September and January was originally intended to be the introduction. However, I experienced a creative block, caused by my technical ability at the piano. The music felt prematurely developed, and I struggled to build away from it. I began to wonder whether I had actually written an opening, or an ending. This realisation cleared my writer’s block, treating this moment as a climax instead of an introduction. This became a turning point, leading to the variation form that Youth now adopts.