Threnodies Alexander Soares

• Frank Bridge (1879 - 1941): Piano Sonata, H. 160:
• 1 Bridge: Piano Sonata, H. 160: I. Lento ma non troppo – Andante ben moderato – Allegro energico 13:21
• 2 Bridge: Piano Sonata, H. 160: II. Andante ben moderato 08:56
• 3 Bridge: Piano Sonata, H. 160: III. Lento – Allegro ma non troppo 08:40
• Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976):
• 4 Britten: Variations for piano 06:02
• Alban Berg (1885 - 1935):
• 5 Berg: Piano Sonata, Op. 1 11:28
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68:
• 6 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: I. Prélude 03:16
• 7 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: II. Fugue 03:44
• 8 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: III. Forlane 06:30
• 9 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: IV. Rigaudon 03:28
• 10 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: V. Menuet 05:07
• 11 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: VI. Toccata 04:08
• Total Runtime 01:14:40

Info for Threnodies

The extreme social trauma that followed The Great War of 1914--18 engulfed Europe. In this context, English composer Frank Bridge is an intriguing figure: his musical language transformed to embrace a radically new harmonic style. Consequently, his popularity waned and it was not until the end of the century that his importance as a leading modernist was appreciated. The programme of this album seeks to illuminate the position of Bridge's monumental Piano Sonata, by setting it alongside works by the composers who influenced it - Berg and Ravel - and his most famous pupil, Britten. Both the sonata and each movement of Ravel's suite were dedicated to those who fell in the war. Whilst the repertoire on this disc conveys strikingly varied tones, the title, threnodies - a song of lamentation - reflects the essence of these memorials.

Alexander Soares, piano

Alexander Soares
Since his debut in the Southbank Centre at age 23, British pianist Alexander Soares has garnered a reputation as an artist who combines huge intensity, clarity and intellect. Since winning the Gold Medal in the prestigious Royal Overseas League Competition in 2015, he has performed in major venues and festivals across the U.K., Europe and United States, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on numerous occasions.

Equally comfortable performing a wide range of repertoire, Alexander is quickly gaining a reputation as a leading exponent of contemporary French repertoire. Current and recent highlights include performances at The Wigmore Hall, The Wallace Collection, and a residency at the Two Moors Festival.

In 2018, Alexander will release his debut album, Notations & Sketches, featuring the solo works of Boulez, Dutilleux and Messiaen, produced by Andrew Keener and recorded in the Barbican Centre. In addition, he will be setting up The Notations Project, an educational outreach programme to inspire young student composers, and collaborating with emerging composer Gonçalo Gato on the LSO Soundhub scheme.

Praised as a pianist of “huge intensity” (The Telegraph), Alexander Soares is developing a reputation as an artist of formidable technique and virtuosity, with performances of “diamond clarity and authority” (BBC Radio 3 ‘In Tune’). In 2015, his performance in the BBCSO / BBC Radio 3 ‘Boulez at 90’ celebrations received widespread critical acclaim in the press, described as a “brilliantly unbuttoned account” (The Sunday Times) and “most memorable of all” (The Financial Times). The 2014-15 season began with a BBC Radio 3 broadcast of the rarely heard piano repertoire of John Tavener, and included Alexander’s debuts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the latter performance applauded for its “explosive sound world, pulling out a rich array of colour and texture” (The Herald). He was awarded 1st prize and Gold Medal in the prestigious Royal Overseas League Competition, and was subsequently selected as a 2015 Artist by City Music Foundation. 2016-17 highlights include returns to the Wigmore Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St. James’s Piccadilly and Alexander’s debut in the USA.

Contemporary French repertoire forms a major part of Alexander’s programming. Since a U.K. première of Tristan Murail’s chamber work in the BBCSO Total Immersion series, he has performed this repertoire in his debut recitals in the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room, and the Bridgewater Hall. In 2014, he collaborated with Diego Masson performing Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux Étoiles in Milton Court Concert Hall. The following year, he performed Boulez’s Dérive with David Corkhill in LSO St. Luke’s. His first album, of the solo works by Boulez, Dutilleux and Messiaen, produced by Andrew Keener, will be released in 2018. Following this, Alexander will be launching The Notations Project under the guidance of YCAT Sounding Board. Inspired by Boulez’s Notations, Alexander will embark on an educational outreach programme across schools in the U.K. working on miniature compositions by young composers. The project will culminate with performances of these student compositions, Boulez’s own Notations, and 12 new commissions by professional composers.

A keen chamber musician, Alexander has performed on numerous occasions in the Barbican, working with notable artists such as Boris Brovtsyn and Alexander Baillie. Collaborating with violinist Mihaela Martin, he debuted in Spain at the Palacio de Festivales, Sala Argenta. He has also toured France, in venues including Auditorium St. Germain and Opéra Rouen, performing Stravinsky’s Les Noces on Pleyel’s original double grand pianos, manufactured in the late nineteenth century. Alexander has greatly benefitted from the guidance of pianists including Richard Goode, Stephen Kovacevich, Stephen Hough, and Steven Osborne.

Alexander graduated with first class honours from Clare College, University of Cambridge. He then pursued postgraduate studies with Ronan O’Hora at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, achieving a Master’s with Distinction. In 2015 he completed a doctorate investigating memorisation strategies for contemporary piano repertoire, under the supervision of Professor Daniel Leech-Wilkinson. He is most grateful for generous support from the Guildhall School Trust, Help Musicians U.K., Countess of Munster Trust, Martin Musical Scholarship Foundation, Park Lane Group and Making Music.

Booklet for Threnodies