WILLIAM HOWARD PIANO RECITAL

Doors open at 19.00. Ticket includes a free glass of wine in the interval.

Programme:

LEOŠ JANÁČEK On an Overgrown Path (Second Series)

ROBERT SCHUMANN Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Carnival Jest from Vienna) Op.26

Interval

ROFFREDO CAETANI Ballata in F sharp minor Op.9

GABRIEL FAURÉ Barcarolle No.1 in A minor Op.26

Barcarolle No.4 in A flat major Op.44

Nocturne No.6 in D flat major Op.63

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Ballade No.4 in F Minor Op.52

William Howard’s recital opens with five less familiar pieces by Janáček, written between 1901 and 1911 and published after his death as ‘Series 2’ of On an Overgrown Path. Unlike the ten better known pieces of ‘Series 1’, these have no titles, but contain some of the composer’s most haunting and original piano writing. Another rarity in the programme is the Ballata by Roffredo Caetani (1871-1961), a godson of Franz Liszt and one of very few Italian composers to write instrumental music in an era when opera dominated. The Ballata, composed in 1899, combines Chopinesque melancholy with a Wagnerian richness of harmony. Three of Fauré’s best loved piano pieces mark the centenary of the composer’s death on 4th November 1824. Two great works of the romantic piano repertoire by Schumann and Chopin complete the programme.

WILLIAM HOWARD is one of Britain’s leading pianists, enjoying a career that has taken him to over 40 different countries. As soloist and chamber musician William has performed regularly at major venues and festivals in the UK and can be heard frequently on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. He has made over forty CD recordings and premiered several dozen new works by leading composers from the UK and abroad. In 1983 he founded the Schubert Ensemble, with which he performed for the full 35 years of the Ensemble’s existence.

As soloist and chamber musician he can be heard on over 40 CDs, released by Chandos, Hyperion, ASV, NMC, Collins Classics, Black Box, Champs Hill, Nimbus, Delphian and Orchid Classics. His recording of Fibich’s Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs won a Diapason D’Or award in France and his 2011 recording of Pavel Zemek Novák’s extraordinary 75-minute cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues, described by David Matthews as “one of the finest piano works of our time”, received a double five-star review in the BBC Music Magazine. Three recent recordings for Orchid Classics (Sixteen Romantic Love Songs, Sixteen Contemporary Love Songs and an album of piano works by Howard Skempton), have been hugely successful on streaming platforms and have enjoyed much critical acclaim. An album of Nocturnes by 17 different composers was released by Orchid Classics in May this year.

www.williamhoward.co.uk

Host or Publisher William Howard