Vienna and Paris, two of Europe’s great musical capitals, have for generations attracted and inspired some of the world’s greatest composers to live, work and make their names. This programme from Michael McHale, one of Ireland’s leading pianists, takes us from the classical poise of Mozart, via the Vienna-born Schubert to the dark romanticism of Brahms, before transporting us to the chic Parisian salon of Mathilde de Rothschild, patron to and pupil of Chopin, and the exotic twentieth-century picture-postcards of Debussy’s ‘Estampes’.

Programme

W.A. Mozart: Sonata No.13 in B flat major K.333
Franz Schubert: Impromptus D.899 nos. 2, 3 & 4

– INTERVAL –

Johannes Brahms: Ballades op.10 nos. 1, 2 & 3
Mathilde de Rothschild: Mazurka in B minor op.2 no.6
Fryderyk Chopin: Nocturne in E major op.62 no.2
Claude Debussy: Estampes

About the Musician

Belfast-born Michael McHale has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading pianists and has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician.

He has performed and recorded as a soloist with the Minnesota and Hallé Orchestras, the Moscow, Bournemouth, Jacksonville, Fort Smith, BBC and London Symphony Orchestras, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and all five of the major Irish orchestras. He has performed at the Tanglewood, BBC Proms and Tokyo Spring Festivals, Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Southbank Centre, London, Berlin Konzerthaus, Lincoln and Kennedy Centers, Boston Symphony Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw and regular appearances at Wigmore Hall, London as a founding member of the Wigmore Soloists.

Michael’s début solo album The Irish Piano was released in 2012 by RTÉ lyric fm and selected as ‘CD of the Week’ by the critic Norman Lebrecht. Other solo releases include solo Schubert and Beethoven on Ergodos, Irish Piano Concertos on RTÉ lyric fm, ‘Miniatures and Modulations’ on Grand Piano and the Strauss Burleske on Chandos. His discography of over thirty albums includes releases on Delos, Nimbus Alliance, Champs Hill, and eight duo recital albums on Chandos with clarinettist Michael Collins. The début album of the McGill/McHale Trio Portraits on Cedille featuring special narrations by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali was released in 2017 and immediately entered the Top 25 US Billboard Classical Chart. Recent releases include a recording of Richard Rodney Bennett’s Piano Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor John Wilson for Chandos and Clarinet Trios for BIS with Wigmore Soloists.

A commitment to new music has seen Michael give first performances and recordings of music by composers including Valentin Silvestrov, Valerie Coleman, John Tavener, Arvo Pärt, Tyshawn Sorey, Chris Rogerson, Abbie Betinis, Bill Whelan, Siobhán Cleary, Edward Gregson, Jennifer Walshe, Cliff Eidelman, Luke Bedford and Linda Buckley, as well as concerto world premières by Irish composers Garrett Sholdice (with Gábor Takács-Nagy and the Irish Chamber Orchestra) and Philip Hammond (with Nicholas Collon and the Ulster Orchestra for BBC Radio 3).

Winner of the Terence Judd/Hallé Award in 2009, Michael was also awarded the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, the 2005 Camerata Ireland/Accenture Award, and in 2016 a Major Individual Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, where he was recently appointed as an Associate (ARAM).

In 2018 he was appointed lecturer in piano at the MTU Cork School of Music and until recently was a professor of piano at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.