Ferguson / Gerhard / Rowley / Darnton: Piano Concertos

Featuring

Peter Donohoe
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Alec Rowley
Christian Darnton
Roberto Gerhard
Howard Ferguson

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Howard Ferguson, another composer on this album, decided to stop composing after the 1950s, believing he had said all he wanted to say, and instead devoted himself to musicology, including editing Schubert's complete solo works.

Performer Biography

Peter Donohoe, the pianist and conductor on this album, gained international recognition after his success at the 1982 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Composer Biography

Alec Rowley, a composer on this album, was a prolific musician who taught composition, performed as an organist and pianist, and formed a piano duet partnership that was frequently heard on BBC broadcasts.

Composition History

Christian Darnton, the least known composer on this album, was commissioned to write his Concertino for Piano and Strings by his supporter, South African pianist Adolf Hallis, who premiered it in 1949.

Compositional Technique

Roberto Gerhard's Piano Concerto, the first of his works to use serial techniques, incorporates titles from Renaissance Spanish keyboard music, such as 'Tiento', 'Diferencias', and 'Folias'.

Composer Biography

Roberto Gerhard, a Spanish composer featured on this album, lived in England for 25 years and became a British citizen after moving there in 1939 following Franco's rise to power in Spain.

Recording & Production

This album is the third release in the Naxos British Piano Concertos series, which aims to explore and promote the rich repertoire of British piano concertos.