AWARDS AND HONOURS IN 2009
January 2009: Howard Shelley was awarded an OBE in HM the Queen's New Year's Honours.
July 2009: Shelley was one of only two British pianists named in Classic FM Magazine's Top 10 pianists in the World alongside Argerich, Andsnes, Friere, Hough, Kissin, Hamelin, Pollini, Volodos & Zimerman.
December 2009: Shelley invited to Paris award ceremony to receive CLASSICA magazine top prize, "Choc de l'année" For his Schumann, Grieg, Saint-Saens 2 piano concerto CD.
RECORDING ON HISTORICAL PIANOS
This season Howard records a special anniversary edition of Chopin Sonatas on an Erard piano for the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw and records on Queen Victoria's Erard piano for a special exhibition in Buckingham Palace.
|
CONDUCTOR/SOLOIST
Nearly all Howard Shelley's work this season is in the combined role of conductor/soloist and he returns to many of his favourite orchestras:
- Orchestre de Picardie / Sept 09
- Naples Philharmonic, FL / Nov
- Mexico City Philharmonic / Jan 2010
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Feb
- London Mozart Players / UK tour / March
- Orchestra di Padova et del Veneto / April
- Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana / April
- Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / June
- Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra / June
- Sinfonia Varsovia - special Chopin Anniversary concert August
|
SUMMER ABROAD
After a tour with the Hallé, concerts with the London Mozart Players in Chichester Cathedral and with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Howard spent much of summer '09 abroad.
Conducting highlights included:
- Hong Kong Sinfonietta in a Haydn/Mendelssohn programme.
- Fourth tour with London Mozart Players to Wiesbaden's Rheingau Music Festival including both Mendelssohn Piano Concertos and four of Haydn's 'London' symphonies marking the bicentenaries of both composers.
- Third consecutive year at Warsaw's "Chopin and his Europe" Festival, conducting the Sinfonia Varsovia and performing the Dobrzynski Piano Concerto.
30 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA
2009 marks the 25th anniversary of Shelley's first Australian appearance at the Perth Festival in 1984. Over those 25 years he has made annual tours and worked with the Sydney Symphony and Adelaide Symphony as piano soloist and with the Melbourne Symphony, West Australian Symphony, Queensland Orchestra and Tasmanian Symphony as soloist and conductor/soloist and released ten CDs with the Tasmanian Symphony for Hyperion's Romantic Piano series. In June 2010 he will conduct the Melbourne Symphony and the Tasmanian Symphony, give a special chamber music concert with TSO players and make his 11th CD with the TSO.
|
RECORDING NEWS!
With a towering discography of over 100 recordings, 2009 saw the release of many new CDs:
- HAYDN 'London' Symphonies (4 CD boxed set) for Hyperion
with Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana [Classic FM CD of the month / Choc-Monde de la Musique]
- CLEMENTI The Complete Sonatas double CD Vols 3 and 4 in his chronological survey for Hyperion
- Julius BENEDICT / Sir George MACFARREN Piano Concertos
With the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Hyperion
- SCHUMANN, GRIEG & SAINT-SAENS 2nd Piano Concertos
with Orchestra of Opera North On Chandos Records
[Classic FM CD of the week] / Choc de l'année-Classica, France]
 "Striking, colourful playing - Shelley is almost a match for the legendary Lipatti"
"Fleet and joyous... These are intimate performances, an effect no doubt enhanced by the fact that Shelley directs from the piano. Intimate but also sharply characterised."
Gramophone/July09
|
Pending release:
- SPOHR Symphonies Vol 3
- Jacob ROSENHAIN / Wilhelm TAUBERT Piano Concertos
- CHOPIN Sonatas (Erard piano)
During 2009/10 Howard will record the final volume of Clementi Sonatas and a further volume of Romantic Piano Concertos with the Tasmanian Symphony for Hyperion Records, Kenneth Leighton's Piano Concerto No 3 with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Martyn Brabbins for Chandos Records, and Mozart Piano Concertos K456 & K503 for Australia's ABC Classics. |
|
Caroline Baird Artists