Bax's early life was dominated by the keyboard; he even accompanied Debussy and Schoenberg songs in the composers' presence when other pianists withdrew.
Performer Biography
Ashley Wass, the pianist on this album, was the first British pianist ever to win the top prize at the World Piano Competition in 1997.
Composer Biography
Arnold Bax was one of several talented young pianist-composers who emerged from London's Royal Academy of Music after 1900, alongside figures like York Bowen and Benjamin Dale.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Much of Bax's early music likely arose from piano improvisation, leading him to invent harmony used in a coloristic way that sounded startlingly modern.
Composer Biography
Bax was knighted in the 1937 Coronation Honours List and became the Master of the King's Musick in 1942, a position he took against his better judgment.
Composer Biography
Bax wrote in almost all conventional forms except opera, eventually producing a large output including seven symphonies, concertos, and many orchestral and chamber works.
Recording & Production
This album is the first volume of the complete piano works of Arnold Bax, featuring two epic sonatas and impressionistic miniatures.
