In the genre of classical music, the solo piano repertoire is a vast one, with many neglected or forgotten composers. This picture has changed in recent years with the wider exposure of such composers, whether men or women, through academic research, greater ethnic diversity and the availability of music through internet streaming.
The Darlington Piano Society recital, on Sunday 10th December, features Japanese pianist Hiroaki Takenouchi, whose curiosity and a natural penchant for investigating the neglected repertoire alongside his love for the music of classical masters makes for an enthralling programme. His programme takes the barcarolle as its central theme and alongside works by Mozart and Schubert, includes barcarolles by Rachmaninov, Chopin, Percy Sherwood and Dorothy Howell. The composer and pianist Percy Sherwood was born in Dresden in 1866, of English/German parentage. He became a major figure in the music life of Dresden but before war broke out in 1914 he and his wife returned to England, where he was almost unknown, and he died in London in 1935. Dorothy Howell was born in Birmingham in 1898. Like Sherwood, she was a prolific composer and pianist and several of her major works, including piano concertos, featured in the Henry Wood Promenade concerts with Dorothy as soloist. She died in 1982, aged 83.
Hiroaki teaches piano at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Glasgow) and is frequently invited to make recordings for BBC Radio 3’s Composer of the Week as well as giving performances at the Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre and in Japan, Europe and North America.
Greg Johnson, Chairman of the Society, said “We are very pleased to have Hiroaki play for us in Darlington, and welcome the opportunity to hear the rarely performed works that he has included and which feature in few recital programmes elsewhere. These are the first works by Sherwood and Howell ever played for the Society and hopefully will lead the audience on to further discoveries – indeed, the number of advance online ticket sales would suggest that curiosity has been stimulated already.”
Recitals are held in Central Hall, the Dolphin Centre at 3pm. Tickets for the recital are available online at www.dpiano.co.uk, and on the door on the day, price £15, with U21’s free.