Jonathan Powell (musician)

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For other persons of the same name, see Jonathan Powell (disambiguation).

Jonathan Powell (born 1969) is a British pianist and composer. He specializes in playing avant garde and Russian Romantic music.

He was educated at King's College, Cambridge, and was a student of Denis Matthews and Sulamita Aronovsky. He made his performing debut at the age of 20 in the Purcell Room in London.

He made his first acquaintance with Sorabji's music, with which he has since become strongly associated, in 1984 through the radio broadcasts of Yonty Solomon and through the scores that were then still published and available through Curwen. He was encouraged to contact the composer, and obtained copies of several later works which he premiered starting in 1990, and has been recording and performing regularly.

He has played Sorabji's whole Opus Clavicembalisticum at several public performances as well as other works of Sorabji, including the substantial 1930 fourth of the composer's piano sonatas. He has also recorded CDs, of Sorabji's music and of others', for the Altarus, Centaur and Danacord labels, including also works by Joseph Marx ([1]).

Samples of two of his own compositions can be heard at the British Music Information Centre page below.

[edit] External links

• British Music Information Centre page on Jonathan Powell This biography can also be read in the notes to his recording of Sorabji's first toccata for piano.