Peter Hill, piano
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About
British pianist and musicologist Peter Hill is known for his performances and recordings of twentieth-century and contemporary music. His complete Messiaen cycle received superlative acclaim: described as ‘one of the most impressive solo recording projects of recent years’ (New York Times), it also received the endorsement of Messiaen, with whom Peter studied in Paris – 'Beautiful technique, a true poet: I am a passionate admirer of Peter Hill's playing.’ Critics have referred to the series as 'a classic of dedicated virtuosity' (The Times), 'incredible: Hill's strengths are virtuoso control and consummate rhythmic delineating...in Hill's hands I feel I am getting the composer at his purest and most intense' (Fanfare, USA), or 'remarkable for its accuracy, sense of atmosphere and sheer dynamism … some of the finest Messiaen playing ever to have gone down on disc' (The Sunday Telegraph).
The recording of Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux is one of two recordings listed in 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die, the other being of Schoenberg’s Three Piano Pieces op 11 from a CD of the complete piano music of Berg, Schoenberg and Webern which was a recording of the year in The Sunday Times and Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. Among other CDs are recordings made with Benjamin Frith (Peter Hill's regular duo partner) of Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen and two CDs of Stravinsky, including the composer's arrangements of The Rite of Spring and Three Movements from Petrushka. Peter’s recording of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 is due for release later this year (Delphian).
Books include The Messiaen Companion (Fabers), and Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (Cambridge University Press). The invitation from Messiaen’s widow, Yvonne Loriod, to research in the private Messiaen archive in Paris led to a biography of the composer (Messiaen), published by Yale University Press in 2005, and reissued in translation in Germany (Schott) and in France (Fayard). Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques (Ashgate) was published in 2007. Much in demand for lectures and masterclasses, recent appearances include the University of Western Australia, University of Chicago, Boston University, New York University, the Juilliard School of Music, Carnegie Hall, and the Library of Congress. In 2008 Peter was awarded the annual prize for musical scholarship by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2009 he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Performance and Musicology at Sheffield University, and in 2011 a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music.
Quite extraordinarily beautiful and right
-The Times (London)
This is beautiful music and beautiful piano playing too. I listened entranced
-Gramophone
… a classic of dedicated virtuosity. There is a keen edge that polishes the colours with unerring precision.
-The Times
Peter Hill’s superlative recording, remarkable for its accuracy, sense of atmosphere, and the sheer dynamism of his response to Messiaen’s virtuoso demands … Some of the finest Messiaen playing ever to have gone down on disc.
-Sunday Telegraph
These performances transcend mere excellence. His command of mood, his control of sonorities, and the breathtaking clarity are all elements in a remarkable performance.
-Glasgow Herald
The recording of Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux is one of two recordings listed in 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die, the other being of Schoenberg’s Three Piano Pieces op 11 from a CD of the complete piano music of Berg, Schoenberg and Webern which was a recording of the year in The Sunday Times and Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. Among other CDs are recordings made with Benjamin Frith (Peter Hill's regular duo partner) of Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen and two CDs of Stravinsky, including the composer's arrangements of The Rite of Spring and Three Movements from Petrushka. Peter’s recording of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 is due for release later this year (Delphian).
Books include The Messiaen Companion (Fabers), and Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (Cambridge University Press). The invitation from Messiaen’s widow, Yvonne Loriod, to research in the private Messiaen archive in Paris led to a biography of the composer (Messiaen), published by Yale University Press in 2005, and reissued in translation in Germany (Schott) and in France (Fayard). Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques (Ashgate) was published in 2007. Much in demand for lectures and masterclasses, recent appearances include the University of Western Australia, University of Chicago, Boston University, New York University, the Juilliard School of Music, Carnegie Hall, and the Library of Congress. In 2008 Peter was awarded the annual prize for musical scholarship by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2009 he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Performance and Musicology at Sheffield University, and in 2011 a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music.
Quite extraordinarily beautiful and right
-The Times (London)
This is beautiful music and beautiful piano playing too. I listened entranced
-Gramophone
… a classic of dedicated virtuosity. There is a keen edge that polishes the colours with unerring precision.
-The Times
Peter Hill’s superlative recording, remarkable for its accuracy, sense of atmosphere, and the sheer dynamism of his response to Messiaen’s virtuoso demands … Some of the finest Messiaen playing ever to have gone down on disc.
-Sunday Telegraph
These performances transcend mere excellence. His command of mood, his control of sonorities, and the breathtaking clarity are all elements in a remarkable performance.
-Glasgow Herald