William Howard Pianist © 2016
New recording released
17th May 2024 saw the release of William Howard's latest album for Orchid Classics, Sixteen Nocturnes and a Lantern. Hailed by Katy Hamilton as "very, very skillfully and intelligently programmed" (BBC Radio 3 Record Review 18th May), the recital features a collection of beautiful nocturnes by different composers of the 19th and 20th centuries together with Lantern by Howard Skempton, written for William in 2023. The album appears on Orchid's Blue Cloud label (ORC100300) and can be streamed here.
Howard Skempton premiere at Leighton House
Howard Skempton has composed a short nocturne, Lantern, to be featured in William's forthcoming album of Nocturnes for Orchid Classics. Its first public performance will take place at Leighton House Museum, London, in a recital that William will give on Wednesday 22nd November 2023, which will also include works by Schubert, Fanny Mendelssohn, Ravel and Debussy.
Fanny Mendelssohn at the Castle Hotel
William will join members of the Carducci Quartet once again for a weekend of concerts at the Castle Hotel, Taunton featuring chamber and piano solo works by Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn. It will take place from 19th to 21st April 2024 as part of the series organised by Martin Randall Travel. The programmes include two of Fanny Mendelssohn's most important chamber works and some rarely performed piano works. William will also give talks before each of the four concerts, illustrated at the piano. Full details here.
Belle Époque Festival at St. John's Smith Square, London
William Howard will take part in three concerts which form part of a four-day festival of French music at St. John's. Over the weekend of 26th/27th November 2022 he will perform Fauré's First Violin Sonata with Mathilde Milwidsky, violin (further details), chamber works by Reynaldo and Fauré with the Paris-based string quartet Quatuor Mona (further details) and Reynaldo Hahn's Versailles from Le Rossignol Éperdu for solo piano (further details).
London concert to celebrate new Novák edition
In May 2022 publisher Music Haven will produce the first edition of Pavel Zemek Novák's 75-minute cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues for solo piano, written for William Howard between 1989 and 2006 and described by David Matthews as 'one of the finest piano works of our time'. The Preludes and Fugues have been edited by William Howard in collaboration with the composer and typeset by composer Cydonie Banting. The project has taken several years to complete. To celebrate the launch of the new edition, William will give a recital at Fellowship House, Hamstead Garden Suburb on Thursday 12th May. Further details here.
Schumann Études Symphoniques
A live performance of Schumann's 12 Études Symphoniques Op.13 is now available on YouTube, part of a recital that William gave at the Harty Room, Queen's University, Belfast on 18th November 2021. Watch it here.
Schubert/Dvořák weekend at the Castle Hotel, Taunton
In November William curated a weekend of chamber music and solo piano pieces by Schubert and Dvořák for Martin Randall Travel, his fifth appearance at the Castle Hotel Chamber Weekends. As well as four concerts with the Carducci String Quartet, William gave four half-hour pre-concert talks, illustrated from the piano. Full programme.
Schubert Ensemble's Enescu Trio edition published
Romanian publisher Grafoart has recently published an edition of Enescu's unfinished Piano Trio in A minor (1916) prepared by William in collaboration with Simon Blendis and Jane Salmon, former colleagues from the Schubert Ensemble. The version recorded by the Ensemble and released by Chandos in 2013 was the product of many months of poring over the original manuscript by the three players. The new edition has several further amendments made since the recording. The score and parts can be purchased here.
