The Sonata has four movements : Moderato con moto - Adagio - Vivace - Moderato. This performance was broadcast in 1974.
Christopher Headington (1930-1996) was a prolific composer of piano music, concertos for piano and for violin, chamber music, song and orchestral scores. A number of books on music history and various composers appeared over thirty years to complement his work as a lecturer. Having studied composition at Royal Academy of Music in London with Sir Lennox Berkeley he began his series of piano compositions with 'Five Preludes' in 1953, closely followed by this Sonata of 1955. Headington was an accomplished pianist himself and his compositional style owes much to the French influence. He wrote two further piano sonatas. Headington's Piano Concerto (its actual premiere) played by Gordon Fergus-Thompson, on this channel at
• Christopher Headington...
Pianist Philip Challis (1929-1996) was born in Huddersfield, the Yorkshire town world famous for its magnificent Choral Society. He was able to sight read by age 4 and quickly progressed, at first with local teacher Frederick Greenwood. In 1948 he took over at short notice in a concert when the advertised soloist Colin Horsley became ill. Challis along with John Ogdon were students of Iso Elinson (1907-1964) at the Royal Manchester College of Music. Moving to London Challis later studied with Herbert Fryer who had attended Busoni's masterclasses. Fryer (1877-1957, a professor at Royal Academy of Music) was a fine pianist who taught many leading performers such as Constant Lambert, Arthur Bliss, Cyril Smith, Kendall Taylor, Colin Horsley, George Malcolm, Lance Dossor, etc. Later on Challis studied with Ilona Kabos (1892-1973), wife of Louis Kentner. Her musical formation had been at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. She taught many who achieved eminence (Howard Shelley, Janos Solyom, Varella-Cid, Peter Frankl etc) in England then at the Juillard School in New York.
Challis became a sought after pianist who excelled in the big virtuoso works of Ravel, Liszt, Moscheles, Busoni, Scriabin and Bartok. His repertoire ranged from Bach, to Romantic, French, and British twentieth century composers. He performed widely in UK and Europe, giving very many BBC broadcasts from the late 1950s onwards, featured in a number of Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. He made a few LP recordings and was also a successful teacher in Worthing and London. Sadly he died at 67.
Other recordings of Philip Challis can be found on this channel's relevant playlist.
16 авг 2022
