Haydn: Sonatas & Variations Leon McCawley

• Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Keyboard Sonata No. 53 in E Minor, Hob. XVI:34:
• 1 I. Presto 03:51
• 2 II. Adagio 05:05
• 3 III. Vivace molto 03:23
• Keyboard Sonata No. 60 in C Major, Op. 79, Hob. XVI:50:
• 4 I. Allegro 07:13
• 5 II. Adagio 05:28
• 6 III. Allegro molto 02:21
• Keyboard Sonata No. 33 in C Minor, Hob. XVI:20:
• 7 I. Moderato 07:30
• 8 II. Andante con moto 04:49
• 9 III. Finale: Allegro 04:31
• Keyboard Sonata No. 62 in E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI:52:
• 10 I. Allegro 07:57
• 11 II. Adagio 06:32
• 12 III. Finale: Presto 05:15
• Sonata in F Minor, Hob. XVII:6, Un piccolo divertimento:
• 13 Variations 14:53
• Total Runtime 01:18:48

Info for Haydn: Sonatas & Variations

A truly invigorating new release from SOMM this month, brings us Leon McCawley in a recording of four Haydn Piano Sonatas together with the set of Variations in F minor (Sonata - Un piccolo divertimento). Siva Oke first heard Leon play Haydn during a recital for the Chopin Society and was immediately struck by the many wonderful qualities he brought to his playing which captured classical purity and pristine articulation coupled with warmth, plasticity and wit. Widely acknowledged as one of Britain's foremost pianists, McCawley has forged a highly successful career since winning First Prize in the 1993 International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and Second Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, building on his earlier success as Winner of the Piano Section of BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1990. Since then, his impressive discography which includes the much-lauded complete cycle of Mozart Sonatas for Avie has established him as a pianist of great integrity and variety, bringing freshness and vitality to classical, romantic and 20th century repertoire.

The more than 50 piano sonatas of Haydn were the first by any composer, for it was he who first applied the word 'Sonata' to a solo piano piece. Haydn's influence on Mozart, Beethoven, and all the other great composers who followed him, was hugely significant, yet it is only in quite recent times that the importance and originality of his piano sonatas have gradually come to be recognised. The Sonatas on this disc have long been part of Leon McCawley's recital repertoire. They reflect the range of Haydn's genius in the genre he himself invented, and McCawley's performances are full of the insight and virtuosity which have made him one of the major international artists currently before the public.

Leon McCawley, piano

Leon McCawley
one of Britain's foremost pianists, has forged a highly successful career since winning 1st Prize in the 1993 International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and 2nd Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, building on his earlier success as Winner of the Piano Section of BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1990. Since then, McCawley’s impressive discography has established him as a pianist of great integrity and variety, bringing freshness and vitality to classical, romantic and 20th century repertoire. His 2015 CD of Rachmaninov’s Complete Preludes for Somm Recordings is no exception: ’a distinguished issue’ (Gramophone May 2015) and ’Leon McCawley is a real poet of the keyboard in these performances that are alive to Rachmaninov’s wonderful melodic invention’ (The Classical Reviewer March 2015).

McCawley has been praised for the purity of his lyrical and heartfelt playing. In April 2011 he performed the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas over one weekend at King’s Place, London in winning performances: ’There's absolutely no vanity in his playing, which is bright, clean and unfailingly communicative. In his hands the Mozartian oeuvre emerged with striking vividness’ (International Piano). Other notable recitals in past seasons include: London Piano Series at the Wigmore Hall (where he returns for two recitals in 2016), International Piano Series at London’s Southbank Centre, Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Frick Collection and Lincoln Center New York, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Prague Rudolfinum and the Phillips Collection Washington DC. He can be frequently heard on BBC Radio 3 both in performance and interview with most recent broadcasts including In Tune, Wigmore Hall Lunchtime Series and Performance on 3.

As a concerto soloist, McCawley performs with many of the leading British orchestras including the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony and Royal Northern Sinfonia. He has performed several times at BBC Proms. Further afield, McCawley has made concerto appearances with, amongst others, Adelaide Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra ( where he was praised as ’a master of tone and articulation’ by the Philadelphia Inquirer), RTÉ Concert and National Symphony Orchestras, St. Petersburg Symphony and Vienna Symphony and worked with conductors such as Mark Elder, Daniele Gatti, Paavo Järvi, Andrew Litton, Kurt Masur, Gianandrea Noseda, Sakari Oramo, Simon Rattle and John Wilson.

McCawley studied at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester with Heather Slade-Lipkin before continuing his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia with Eleanor Sokoloff. He also received invaluable guidance from Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Nina Milkina and Murray Perahia.

A keen chamber musician, he has enjoyed fruitful collaborations with a range of ensembles and musicians at many prestigious concert venues including BBC Proms Chamber Series, BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Series at the Wigmore Hall and Aldeburgh, Brighton, Cheltenham and Edinburgh festivals.

McCawley’s discography includes: Barber Piano Music (EMI Classics); Schumann Piano Music (Avie Records) selected as Editor's Choice in Gramophone; The Complete Piano Works of Hans Gal (Avie), also a Gramophone Editor's Choice; The Complete Mozart Piano Sonatas (Avie) awarded a Diapason d'Or ; Chopin Piano Music (Somm Recordings) ; a new recording of Barber Piano Music (Somm), awarded Critic's Choice in Gramophone in November 2011; Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with Royal Philharmonic and City of London Choir/Hilary Davan Wetton (Naxos); Brahms Piano Music (Somm), selected as Classic FM CD of the Week in July 2012; Schumann Piano Music (Somm); and Rachmaninov Complete Preludes (Somm). His most recent recording is Vaughan Williams Double Piano Concerto with John Lenehan and Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Martin Yates (Dutton Epoch) , described as ‘not been better served on record before’ and awarded 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine.

Leon McCawley is currently professor of piano at London's Royal College of Music. He is married to the painter Anna Hyunsook Paik.

Booklet for Haydn: Sonatas & Variations