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.