‘quite possibly the most interesting pianist in the world’ Globe & Mail, Toronto
BIOGRAPHY
David Owen Norris is one of the most innovative and brilliant pianists of our generation, being an authority and leading performer on early pianos, rare piano concertos (especially those by 20th century English composers), as well as being the pianist of choice for many world-class singers such as David Wilson-Johnson, Philip Langridge and Sir John Tomlinson.
David Owen Norris was Organ Scholar at Keble College, Oxford, leaving with a First in Music and a Composition Scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where he won the Dove Prize, and privately in Paris. He was a repetiteur at the Royal Opera House, harpist at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Artistic Director of the Petworth Festival & the Cardiff International Festival, Gresham Professor of Music, and Chairman of the Steans Institute for Singers at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. He’s a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Organists, and an Honorary Fellow of Keble College, Oxford.
As a composer, his oratorio Prayerbook was released on EM Records, performed by the Waynflete Singers, New College Choir, the Navarra String Quartet & the baritone Peter Savidge, amongst others. In 2013 Norris recorded his song-cycles with the tenor Mark Wilde, and his Symphony was premiered in the English Music Festival.
Of Radio 3 & 4 broadcasting fame, Norris remains in great demand by the BBC. ‘Sign this man up for a series!’ said the Sunday Times , after Norris’s celebrated deconstruction of ‘Jerusalem’ in the Prince of Wales’s television programme about Sir Hubert Parry; ‘deserves a gold medal’ said the Daily Telegraph of his contribution to the BBC’s Bloomsday celebrations this year, James Joyce’s Playlist , part of his long-running Radio 4 series.
IN CONCERT
‘Amanda Pitt and David Owen Norris were out of this world.' Roderic Dunnett, Three Choirs Festival
‘delicacy of touch…Norris was, as always, fiercely focused...he was attentive to every detail’ Classical Music Magazine Langridge/Norris/Doric Quartet, Wigmore Hall
‘… brilliantly delivered by both Langridge and Norris’ The Independent Langridge/Norris/Doric Quartet. Wigmore Hall
An authority and leading performer on early ‘the orchestra was joined by the renowned pianist David Owen pianos, David Owen Norris owns a number of Norris, whose very presence seemed to inspire the young players interesting antique pianos: ‘Oxford Times
1828 Broadwood Grand Piano, 1781 Square ‘Their charisma brought this music to life so convincingly that we Piano & 1887 Pleyel Piano would happily have listened to another hour's worth.’ The Guardian [email protected] +44 (0)20 7354 9199 www.ikonarts.com
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
MONTAGUE PHILLIPS PIANO CONCERTOS 1 & 2 Dutton Epoch: CDLX 7206
‘Norris gives the performance of his life in these two works, handling the bravura writing (and there’s a lot of it) with aplomb and total conviction.’ Jeremy Nicolas, Gramophone
EDWARD ELGAR PIANO CONCERTO Dutton Epoch: CDLX 7148 *WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING
‘The recording quality is outstanding….This is an important record, which all Elgarians will wish to hear, and I commend it with enthusiasm.’ Robert Matthew-Walker, International Record Review
JOSEPH HOROVITZ JAZZ CONCERTO Dutton Epoch: CDLX 7188
‘Everything is played with enthusiasm and finesse – definitely music to cheer a jaded palate – and is excellently recorded…..I urge readers to investigate’ Andrew Lamb, Gramophone Magazine
SELECTED PROGRAMMES
BLUES AND TOCCATAS Virtuoso ’20s Jazz from New York, London and Prague
WORLDS TO CONQUER The repertoire in this programme is drawn from Norris’s extensive tours of America after winning the Gilmore Artist Award in 1990. Featuring repertoire by Percy Grainger, Joni Mitchell, Billy Mayerl, William Walton & William Byrd.
A CINEMATIC FANTASY British doyen of the piano, David Owen Norris presents a fascinating programme of music inspired by the cinema.
ORCHESTRAL REPERTOIRE *= commercial CD recording available Piano Concertos with full orchestra Richard Arnell – Piano Concerto, op. 44* Sir Edward Elgar – Piano Concerto op. 90* Joseph Horowitz – Jazz Concerto* Constant Lambert – Piano Concerto No.1* Montague Phillips – Piano Concerto No. 1* Montague Phillips – Piano Concerto No. 2* Piano Concertos with smaller ensembles Constant Lambert – Piano Concerto ‘for piano and nine players’ David Owen Norris – Piano Concerto (wind quintet, 3 trombones, strings & percussion) Mozart Piano Concertos virtuosified by Hummel & Cramer (1827) (These concertos can be performed with the original orchestration or in the 1827 arrangements for violin, flute & cello) Mozart – Piano Concerto K.456 in B flat Mozart – Piano Concerto K.467 in C major Mozart – Piano Concerto K.482 in E flat JC Bach Piano Sonatas transformed into Concertos by Mozart With accompaniment for 2 violins & cello J.C. Bach (transformed by Mozart) – Piano Concerto in D major K. 107 J.C. Bach (transformed by Mozart) – Piano Concerto in G major K. 107 J.C. Bach (transformed by Mozart) – Piano Concerto in E flat major K. 107 Concertos for Square Piano, 2 violins & cello C.F. Abel – Concerto in B flat Op. 11, No. 2* J.C. Bach - Concertos for piano Op. 5 and 6 * Philip Hayes - Piano Concerto No. 4 in A major * (the world’s first piano concerto) James Hook - Concerto in D, Op. 1, No. 5 * [email protected] +44 (0)20 7354 9199 www.ikonarts.com