Leon McCawley - Schubert: Piano Music (2018) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. 3 Klavierstücke, D. 946: No. 1 in E-Flat Minor. Allegro assai
02. 3 Klavierstücke, D. 946: No. 2 in E-Flat Major. Allegretto
03. 3 Klavierstücke, D. 946: No. 3 in C Major. Allegro
04. 12 Lieder von Schubert, S. 558: No. 1, Sei mir gegrüsst
05. 12 Lieder von Schubert, S. 558: No. 6, Die junge Nonne
06. 12 Lieder von Schubert, S. 558: No. 3, Du bist die Ruh
07. 12 Lieder von Schubert, S. 558: No. 2, Auf dem Wasser zu singen
08. 12 Lieder von Schubert, S. 558: No. 11, Der Wanderer
09. Fantasie in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 "Wandererfantasie": I. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo
10. Fantasie in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 "Wandererfantasie": II. Adagio
11. Fantasie in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 "Wandererfantasie": III. Presto
12. Fantasie in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 "Wandererfantasie": IV. Allegro

SOMM Recordings is delighted to announce a major new release by Leon McCawley focusing on the piano music of Franz Schubert. The new recording is the latest offering from a highly acclaimed partnership between SOMM and McCawley that has seen earlier albums devoted to Haydn, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Rachmaninov and Samuel Barber. Leon McCawley has been one Britain’s foremost pianists since winning the International Beethoven Piano Competition in 1993, when he also took second prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition. Perhaps “the most enigmatic of all musical geniuses”, as Bryce Morrison describes him, Schubert himself famously declared “I came into this world for nothing else but to compose”. Two masterpieces are heard here. The Drei Klavierstücke saw Schubert reaching out in a radical new direction to deliver, says Morrison, something “wild, feverish, disjointed and intimate... visionary music with a vengeance”. The Wanderer Fantasy is a luxurious display of virtuoso opulence – music the like of which wouldn’t be heard again until Liszt at his most incendiary – that makes fearsome demands on the soloist. Four songs arranged by Liszt remain uncannily faithful to Schubert’s originals while adding an extra dimension of drama and sophistication to show both composers at their melodic and dramatic best. Leon McCawley’s previous recordings for SOMM have received wide critical praise. Gramophone hailed his complete Rachmaninov Preludes as “a distinguished issue”, Fanfare described his playing of Brahms as “music-making of a very high order” with International Record Review adding: “When all is said and done, it is difficult to know whether McCawley’s refined piano playing, his natural yet cultivated musicality or his boundless imagination warrants the greater praise. You must hear the recording”. His recording of Haydn’s Sonatas and Variations received a coveted Diapason d’Or and the “superb collection” of Barber’s piano music was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra
is Scotland’s national symphonic ensemble and is one of the country’s five National Performing Companies. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950, and was awarded Royal Patronage in 1991.

Throughout its history, the Orchestra has played an integral part in Scotland’s musical life, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. Many renowned conductors have contributed to its success, including George Szell, Sir John Barbirolli, Walter Susskind, Sir Alexander Gibson, Neeme Järvi, Walter Weller, Alexander Lazarev and Stéphane Denève.

In 2012 the RSNO welcomed British-Canadian musician and conductor Peter Oundjian as its latest Music Director and Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård as Principal Guest Conductor. 2012 also saw the appointments of two new Leaders, James Clark and Maya Iwabuchi.

The RSNO performs across Scotland, including concerts in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness. The Orchestra appears regularly at the Edinburgh International Festival and at the BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Recent appearances in England have included performances at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, Leeds Town Hall, The Sage, Gateshead and at The Sands Centre, Carlisle. In 2012 it undertook a week-long residency in Shetland as part of the Cultural Olympiad, providing the most northerly UK cultural activity leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games. The RSNO regularly appears at the St Magnus Festival, Orkney, and has made recent tours to France, Germany, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Serbia. In December 2012 and January 2013 the Orchestra undertook its first mainland Asia visit with a hugely successful tour of China with Peter Oundjian.

The Orchestra is joined for choral performances by the RSNO Chorus, directed by Timothy Dean. The RSNO Chorus evolved from a choir formed in 1843 to sing the first full performance of Handel’s Messiah in Scotland. Today, the RSNO Chorus is one of the most distinguished large symphonic choruses in Britain, with a membership of around 160. The Chorus has performed nearly every work in the standard choral repertoire along with contemporary works by renowned composers, including John Adams, Magnus Lindberg, Howard Shore and James MacMillan. The acclaimed RSNO Junior Chorus, formed in 1978 by Jean Kidd, also performs regularly alongside the Orchestra. Since 1994 it has been directed by popular Chorus Director, Christopher Bell, and has expanded its membership to almost 300, with members aged from eight to eighteen. It has built up a considerable reputation singing under some of the world’s most distinguished conductors and appearing on radio and television.

The RSNO has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its recordings, receiving two Diapason d’Or de l’année awards for Symphonic Music (Denève/Roussel 2007; Denève/Debussy 2012) and eight GRAMMY Awards nominations over the last decade. Over 200 releases are available, including the complete symphonies of Sibelius (Gibson), Prokofiev (Järvi), Glazunov (Serebrier), Nielsen and Martinů (Thomson), Roussel (Denève) and the major orchestral works of Debussy (Denève).

The RSNO’s Learning and Engagement team deliver progressive participatory music-making activities across Scotland, from Selkirk to Shetland, working with all ages and abilities. With a programme of activity available for new-borns and onwards, the team are committed to delivering the highest quality workshops as well as nurturing and developing new talent. From schools and nursery concerts, to community workshops and annual residencies during which the Orchestra embeds itself at the centre of Scottish communities, the team connects the Orchestra, its music and musicians with the people of Scotland.

Hilary Davan Wetton
has enjoyed a distinguished career as both conductor and teacher. He was Director of Music at St Paul’s Girls’ and Tonbridge Schools, and conductor of the Edinburgh Youth and Birmingham Schools Orchestras. He is Associate Conductor of the London Mozart Players. Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the City of London Choir since 1989, he was founder/conductor of the Holst Singers and is Conductor Emeritus of the Guildford Choral Society and the Milton Keynes City Orchestra. He has recorded many neglected works, both by British composers (including Parry, Holst, Samuel Wesley and Sterndale Bennett) and by Raff and Mendelssohn. He appears regularly on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM, for which he presented the popular series Masterclass. His acclaimed recordings include Holst’s Choral Symphony which won the Diapason d’Or in 1994.

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