February 2010 – Concert schedule

9th  - CAMPDEN & DISTRICT MUSIC SOCIETY – recital with Emma Johnson
http://www.campdenmusic.org.uk/contentok.php?id=44

10th – CHESTER MUSIC SOCIETY – recital with Emma Johnson
http://www.chesterfestivals.co.uk/site/festivals/chester-music-society-emma-johnson-and-john-lenehan-p108491

11th – MORPETH MUSIC SOCIETY – recital with Leland Chen

http://www.morpeth-musoc.ndo.co.uk/feb.htm

12th -  ARMAGH – MARKET PLACE THEATRE

http://www.marketplacearmagh.com/shows/item.php?id=986

20th -  CANTERBURY – MUSIC AT ST. PETER’S – recital with Tasmin Little

http://www.musicatstpeters.org.uk/

24th -  KEELE- UNIVERSTY CONCERT SERIES – recital with Leland Chen
http://www.wherecanwego.com/search/ViewEvent.aspx?e=298726&h=Staffordshire+Leland+Chen+%26+John+Lenehan

26th OXFORD – SHELDONIAN THEATRE – recital with Tasmin Little

http://www.musicatoxford.com/Concerts/Events%200910/Little%20Lenehan.htm
28th – LONDON – WIGMORE HALL – recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/productions/emma-johnson-24339

November 2009

 

New CD out this month…..

The composer of the 12 “songs without words” on this album,  Helen Habershon,  has described her music as “a reflection the natural world that we live in and the world from which we originate”. Hers is a delicate and beautiful sound-world and although this is the first time her music has been recorded, Classic FM have immediately taken note and broadcast several of the tracks regularly. One of the reviewers on amazon.co.uk went so far as to say “If I was stranded on a desert island this is the album I would want to have with me. Buy it now!”

Engagements this month

November

2nd – Edinburgh (Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/shows/emma-johnson-clarinet-natalie-clein-cello-john-lenehan-piano

3rd – Skipton (Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.skiptonmusic.org.uk/index.php?content=concert2

4th – Kendal Midday concerts ((Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/leisure/music/4635565.Kendal_Midday_Concert_Club_plays_host_to_leading_clarinettist_Emma_Johnson/

4th – Hexham (Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.ents24.com/web/event/1823274/Hexham_%26_District_Music_Society_Presents.html

8th – Keswick (Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.theatrebythelake.co.uk/whatson.asp?category=Music

11th – Hereford (Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.herefordconcertsociety.org.uk/2009-11-11.html

12th – Adjudicating the Brahms Sonata prize (first round) at the Royal Academy of Music

18th – Durham (Trio with Emma Johnson and Natalie Clien)

http://www.dur.ac.uk/musicon.concerts/concerts/

19th – Adjudicating the Brahms Sonata prize (finals) at the Royal Academy of Music

21st – Holmes Chapel (recital with Emma Johnson)

http://www.themusicsociety.org.uk/38th/novb.htm

26th – Dartmouth (recital with Emma Johnson)

http://www.theflavel.org.uk/index.php?cmd=eventsnext

28th – Swansea Brangwyn Hall (guest in The Pontarddulais Male Choir annual concert)

http://www.pontarddulaismalechoir.com/

October 2009

October

Performances this month

2nd  - Avon Valley Concerts – recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.avonvalleyconcerts.com/concerts.htmlSeptember

3rd – Tewkesbury – recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.rosestheatre.org/live/Classical-Concert-Series.aspx

6th – Exeter –  recital with  Tasmin Little

http://www.exeternorthcott.co.uk/tasmin_little

7th – Bexleyheath -  recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.emmajohnson.co.uk/concerts.html

11th – Marlborough School –  recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.emmajohnson.co.uk/concerts.html

16th – Truro  -  recital with  Tasmin Little

http://www.truro3arts.co.uk/page13.html

17th – Amersham – recital with Leland Chen

http://www.amershamconcerts.org.uk/prog.htm

22nd – Canterbury –   recital with  Tasmin Little

http://www.canterburyfestival.co.uk/eventdetail.asp?id=996

25th – Caernafon –  recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.galericaernarfon.com/eng/item_detail.aspx?pageref=event&SecRef=C15D795A6C9307299A78BDE170526A8A0E314318

31st – Alnwick – recital with Emma Johnson

http://www.alnwickplayhouse.co.uk/event_nojs.asp?eventid=1523

September

Performances for this month

16th – Barnstaple – with Emma Johnson

24th – London – with Natalie Clein

29th – Istanbul – with Natalie Clein

30th – London – with Emma Johnson

21st – Classic FM release “Relaxation” for which they comissioned John Lenehan to arrange and perform 3 solo piano tracks – “Ashokan’s Farewell”, “You raise me up” and “Home away from Home”

July

Performances for this month

1st – Bradfield Festival –  with Emma Johnson and Philip Dukes

11th – Aboyne Festival – with Leland Chen

22nd – Bexhill – with Emma Johnson

25th – Petworth Festival – Emma Johnson and Guy Johnston

June

9th – 13th – Kutna Hora, Czech Republic – various

A wonderfully atmospheric and historic town in the Czech Republic hosts an International music festival annually.  The 2009 Festival, masterminded by the outstanding Czech Cellist Jiří Bárta, featured Canadian violinist Lara St. John, Ukranian pianist konstantin lifschitz, French Oboist Jérôme Guichard and Czech Clarinetist Ludmila Petrková. John Lenehan joined them for a performance of Haydn Concerto in G and other works by Mendelssohn, Dutilleux and Górecki.

20 -27th – China – with Tasmin Little

A particularly memorable trip with Tasmin Little for recitals and workshops hosted by the British School of Beijing.

March

Another disc out this month – Partners in Time with Tasmin Little.  A recital programme as a recording project is really quite an old-fashioned concept – but fashions come around again and again! The disc was launched at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London before an invited audience and also open to the public – free – and about 500 people were there. The disc was “Record of the Week” on Classic FM.

February 2009

February

During this year I will give playing several trio concerts with Emma Johnson (clarinet) and Natalie Clein (cello). We are championing the trio written by John Ireland which has recently been reconstructed from the MS found in the British Library. For some time it was thought lost but now becomes an important piece in a relatively small repertoire for this combination. The first concerts this month were in Jersey and Norwich.

January 2009

January

A new disc with Emma Johnson of sonatas by Bernstein and Copland together with music by John Dankworth was released by Naxos.

The month also included a flurry of concerts with the Britten Sinfinia taking in Krakow, Birmingham, London (Wigmore Hall), Norwich and Cambridge. The programme was broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and also recorded for release on CD by the Orchestra’s own label. I was also privileged to work for the first time with a legend of the flute-playing world – William Bennett.

August – december 2008

The arrival of my son, Jack, has meant life has been more hectic than usual  - so I have not kept this blog going too effectively! Apart from our new arrival, here is a potted summary of the rest of 2008:

John Ireland piano  music (volume 3) was issued by Naxos in September and continues my long running complete edition. This was supposed to be the final installment but in the last couple of years some hitherto unknown early manuscripts have come to light and there is talk of a fourth volume which will also include the Legend for piano and orchestra and the wonderful piano concerto. Watch this space……

October was busy mainly with concerts with Tasmin Little. Together we were getting to grips with a new sonata programme which we recorded during November for BIS.  In December Faber Music published the final books (grades 6-8) in my series with Paul Harris Improve your Aural.

July 2008

Another busy month with concerts in the Petworth, Aboyne and Henley Festivals followed by two weeks in the USA. 14 appearances there included solo repertoire by Liszt, Alkan, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Ravel, Ireland and a Haydn Concerto. Collaborators included Sergey Antonov (winner of the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky competition this year) and Icelandic Tenor Garder Thor Cortes. Also this month, Naxos issued a new recording – John Ireland Piano Music vol. 3.

June 2008

The busiest month this year (so far) started with a trip to the Czech Republic to perform in a new International Music Festival at the historic town of Kutna Hora. Two concerts featured piano Trios by Rachmaninoff and Eben and Messiaen’s quartet for the end of time – challenging music that needed plenty of rehearsal time.  After returning there were three recitals with Tasmin Little (one recorded by BBC Radio 3 for future broadcast), a solo recital (Bach, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Chopin) and a further concert with Emma Johnson.

May 2008

Finished a very long project for Faber Music this month. “Improve your Aural” (grades 6-8 ) will be published later this year. The final book was written with Paul Harris and the accompanying CD in collaboration with Ned Bennett.

April 2008

A short trip to Denmark for a recital with Julian Lloyd Webber and another new CD recording this month. The new disc is for Naxos and features Emma Johnson and John playing Sonatas by Copland and Bernstein together with music by John Dankworth and a new virtuoso version for clarinet and piano of melodies from Bernstein’s  West Side Story.

March 2008

As well as concerts with Emma Johnson and Tasmin Little,  John Lenehan recorded a disc for Toccata Classics of music for violin and piano by Julius Rontgen. This prolific Dutch composer is all but forgotten these days but, on the evidence of this repertoire, is surely due for a revival. The violinist was Atsuko Sahara, - a winner of the Uralsk International Violin Competition.

February 2008

The highlight of this month was a trip to India to perform in Mumbai with the Symphony Orchestra of India – a newly formed group (India’s first fully professional orchestra). The repertoire was Beethoven’s Triple Concerto (with the SOI music director Marat Bisengaliev and Raphael Wallfisch) and a trio concert. Both events drew large and enthusiastic audiences. Classical music is alive and well in India!

December 2007

On the border between Europe and Asia sits the small town of Uralsk, Kazakhstan. It is the home of an annual international violin competition. Together with Benjamin Frith, John attended as official accompanist and also performed with previous competition winners.

November 2007

Another London concert this month – this time at the Wigmore Hall in a concert billed as “Princes and Poets – 100 years of the French cello tradition”. Organised by the London Cello Society and L’Association Francaise du Violoncelle the programme brought together seven of France’s finest cellists – five of them performing with John Lenehan. A packed hall included Yan Pascal Tortelier and several who had made the journey from Paris to hear this unique event.

October 2007

Interest in the new Sony releases lead to interviews on BBC radio 3’s “In tune” and Classic FM’s Sunday night “Guest list”.John Lenehan also made his debut at one of London’s newest venues – the Cadogan Hall, in a recital with Emma Johnson.

September 2007

Sony Classical release three discs featuring music by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman and Ludovico Einaudi performed by John Lenehan. Classic FM magazine praised playing “by one of our most celebrated musicians” and Gramophone noted “Delicate articulations, subtle shadings,measured control and finely poised sensitivity.”

August 2007

A chance to arrange and orchestrate for an operatic superstar such as Angelika Kirschslanger does not come along so regularly – so John was delighted to accept the invitation to produce arrangements of Christmas-related repertoire for her latest CD. He attended the sessions in early September in Vienna – Christmas did come early this year!

July 2007

The Newport Festival, Rhode Island, USA (which features in “America’s Elite 1000—the Ultimate List,” and “Top 50 Outstanding Festivals & Events”) invited John Lenehan once again (his fifth visit). In a crazy two weeks he took part in 16 concerts performing rarely heard piano music by Mendelssohn, Bizet, Liszt, Rubinstein and Liszt as well as much chamber music.