Category: News

John Pickard’s Piano Concerto, Sea-Change and Tenebrae BIS recording is reviewed by Dr. Jürgen Schaarwächter for Magazin Klassik, in German. http://magazin.klassik.com/

Calum MacDonald reviews John Pickard’s Piano Concerto, Sea-Change and Tenebrae CD on BIS.

International Record Review of the BIS Record CD of Piano Concerto, Sea-Change & Tenebrae.

John’s recent orchestral piece ‘Tenebrae’ received its highly successful UK Premiere in Cardiff on 8 January, by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Martyn Brabbins. The performance will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Friday  11 January and is available to listen to on the BBC i-player for seven days after the… Continue reading Tenebrae

The October 2012 edition of the highly respected ‘International Record Review’ includes an outstanding review of the new Toccata Classics disc of six of John Pickard’s chamber works. Describing the disc as ‘an absorbing portrayal of an idiom in constant and unpredictable evolution’, it concludes that ‘his music has a substance and durability which make… Continue reading Outstanding review for Toccata Classics chamber music CD

A new disc of six of John Pickard’s chamber works is out now and available to buy on the Toccata Classics label. Performed by Rupert Marshall-Luck (violin/viola), Sophie Harris (cello), Ian Mitchell (bass-clarinet) and Matthew Rickard (piano), the album spans some twenty years of composing, from 1990 to 2010. Read John’s own notes on the… Continue reading New Pickard Chamber Disc

John’s new Concertante Variations (Presteigne Concerto), for Wind Quintet, Timpani and Strings, has been commissioned by the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts and receives its first performance on 27 August by Joanna Shaw (flute), Helen Barker (oboe), Catriona Scott (clarinet), Thomas Oxley (bassoon), Laura Llewellyn-Jones (horn), Chris Brannick (timpani) with the Presteigne Festival Orchestra, conducted by… Continue reading Presteigne Concerto première

The Burning of the Leaves a setting of a late poem by Laurence Binyon, was commissioned by the Fourth Triennial Weekend of English Song at Ludlow. Unfortunately, its originally scheduled first performance by James Rutherford, had to be cancelled due to illness. The performance took place on 5 June 2011 as part of ‘Celebrating English Song’, to be held at Tardebigge… Continue reading New vocal work – two world premières!

Bardic Edition (publishers of John Pickard’s music) hire library is now handled by Schott Music. John Pickard’s music is currently in the process of being transferred to their library. Please visit the Schott website for hire and retail enquiries.

Following the successful release of their all-Pickard orchestral disc, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra commissioned a new work, Tenebrae. This large-scale piece received its première, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, in Norrköping on 25 March. In the following two days the orchestra recorded the work for CD, together with Sea-Change. The Piano Concerto, will be recorded in 2011 with Fredrik Ullén as soloist, and the disc… Continue reading Tenebrae premièred in Sweden