Anthony Byrne (pianist)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anthony Byrne (born July 30, 1958) is an Irish pianist.

Contents

[edit] Early Years

Anthony Byrne was born in Dublin,Ireland and began piano at the late age of 11. His teachers in Ireland were Fergus Sheil, Marie Jones (pupil of Harold Craxton) and the prominent Irish concert pianist John O’Conor.

[edit] Advanced Studies

In 1980 Anthony Byrne studied in the University of Western Ontario, Canada with the British pianist Peter Katin. In 1981 and 1982 he studied in New York with Adele Marcus whilst also studying conducting with Vincent La Selva at the Juilliard School. Anthony Byrne’s final studies were with Alexander Kelly in London, England.

[edit] Performing career

Anthony Byrne has given many recitals and broadcasts both RTE and the BBC including his Dublin debut, National Concert Hall 1985, London debut, Purcell Room 1986 and Wigmore Hall 1989. He has performed extensively with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland[1] and RTE Concert Orchestra including the Irish premiere of Leroy Anderson’s Piano Concerto in 1997. He has also performed in the USA, Canada and Japan. As a Chamber musician, he has worked with many of Ireland's leading musicians and singers. He performed the complete sonatas for piano and violin by Beethoven with Alan Smale[2], the leader of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

[edit] Contemporary Music

Anthony’s Byrne most important work has been in the promotion and performing of Irish Contemporary Piano Music. He has performed and broadcast more than 50 works including 17 first performances.

Irish works performed:

First performances marked (1st)

Elain Agnew:[3]

Seagull (1st)

Gerald Barry:[4]

Piano Quartet No. 2

Brian Beckett:[5]

Fastasy Variations

Seóirse Bodley:[6]

Aislingí
The Tightrope Walker Presents a Rose

Brian Boydell:[7]

Sarabande
Sleeping Leprechaun
Dance

John Buckley:[8]

Three Preludes
The Cloths of Heaven (written for Anthony Byrne) (1st)
Like Ghosts from an Enchanter Fleeing (written for Anthony Byrne) (1st)
Jim Singing; [9]
And wake the purple year
Three Lullabies for Deirdre
The silver apples of the moon, The golden apples of the sun
Winter Music (commissioned by Anthony Byrne) (1st)[10]
Oileáin
Toccata (written for Anthony Byrne) (1st) [11] A Thin Halo of Blue (1st) [12]

Rhona Clarke:[13][14]

Gleann Da Lough (written for Anthony Byrne) (1st) [15]
Béal Dearg (commissioned by Anthony Byrne) (1st) [16]
Piano Trio No. 2 [17]

Jerome de Bromhead:[18]

Three Fresh Pieces (commissioned by Anthony Byrne) (1st) [19]

Raymond Deane:[20]

Linos 1 and 2
Quaterternion for Piano, Celeste and Orchestra (1st) [21]
Compact for Piano and Orchestra (1st)

Benjamin Dwyer:[22]

Three Pieces for Piano (commissioned by Anthony Byrne) (1st) [23]
Tiento

Hormoz Farhat[24] (Persian composer living in Ireland):

4 Etudes

John Gibson[25]

Nocturne 1977
Moladh go Deo le Dia

Fergus Johnson:[26]

Three piano pieces

John Kinsella:[27]

Sonata no 1
Reflection no 2
Reflection no 3

Eibhlis Farrell:[28]

Time Drops [29]

Philip Flood:[30]

December Preludes

Bernard Geary:[31]

Scherzo (written for Anthony Byrne) [32]
Two Cameos (1st) [33]
And lastly came cold February (1st) [34]
Sonatina (1st) [35]
Prelude and Interlude
Two Poems for Violin and Piano

Marion Ingoldsby:[36]

Undulations 2

Philip Martin:[37]

Soundings (commissioned by Anthony Byrne) (1st) [38]

Colman Pearce:[39]

Prelude and Ludus (written for Anthony Byrne) (1st)
Toccata Festiva (written for Anthony Byrne) (1st)

Eric Sweeney:[40]

5 inventions

James Wilson:[41]

Five Preludes (1st) [42]
Ostinato (written for Anthony Byrne)

[edit] Recordings

  • John Buckley: The complete piano music; Naxos Marco Polo 8.223784 issued 1999
  • Bernard Geary: Piano and Choral music; SDGCD 610 issued 2000
  • Raymond Deane: Orchestral Works; Naxos Marco Polo 8.225106 issued 1999
  • Arthur O’Leary: Piano Music from a Victorian Age; GDD001 issued 2002

[edit] Recognition

Anthony Byrne is an Associate of the Royal College of Music, London and in 1993 was honnoured in Japan with the Ishibashi Zogoro Memorial Scholarship for his work in Contemporary Irish Music.[citation needed] He has also been listed in the Encyclopedia of Ireland 2003[43] and Who's Who in Ireland 2006.

[edit] Teaching

Anthony Byrne has been a Lecturer in Piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music[44] since 1991.

[edit] References

  1. ^ RTÉ Performing Groups: Meet the RTÉ NSO
  2. ^ The Music Network
  3. ^ Composer [Elaine Agnew] / CMC
  4. ^ Composer [Gerald Barry] / CMC
  5. ^ Composer [Brian Beckett] / CMC
  6. ^ Composer [Seóirse Bodley] / CMC
  7. ^ Composer [Brian Boydell] / CMC
  8. ^ Composer [John Buckley] / CMC
  9. ^ Score [John Buckley: Three Preludes] / CMC
  10. ^ Score [John Buckley: Winter Music] / CMC
  11. ^ Score [John Buckley: Toccata] / CMC
  12. ^ Score [John Buckley: A Thin Halo of Blue] / CMC
  13. ^ Rhona Clarke (Irish Composer) by David C. F. Wright:
  14. ^ Composer [Rhona Clarke] / CMC
  15. ^ Score [Rhona Clarke: Gleann Dá Loch] / CMC
  16. ^ Score [Rhona Clarke: Béal Dearg] / CMC
  17. ^ Score [Rhona Clarke: Piano Trio No. 2] / CMC
  18. ^ Composer [Jerome de Bromhead] / CMC
  19. ^ Score [Jerome de Bromhead: Three Fresh Pieces] / CMC
  20. ^ Composer [Raymond Deane] / CMC
  21. ^ Score [Raymond Deane: Quaternion] / CMC
  22. ^ Composer [Benjamin Dwyer] / CMC
  23. ^ Score [Rhona Clarke: Béal Dearg] / CMC
  24. ^ Composer [Hormoz Farhat] / CMC
  25. ^ Composer [John Gibson] / CMC
  26. ^ Composer [Fergus Johnston] / CMC
  27. ^ Composer [John Kinsella] / CMC
  28. ^ Composer [Eibhlis Farrell] / CMC
  29. ^ Score [Eibhlis Farrell: Time Drops] / CMC
  30. ^ Composer [Philip Flood] / CMC
  31. ^ Composer [Bernard Geary] / CMC
  32. ^ Score [Bernard Geary: Scherzo] / CMC
  33. ^ Score [Bernard Geary: Two Cameos] / CMC
  34. ^ Score [Bernard Geary: And lastly came cold February] / CMC
  35. ^ Score [Bernard Geary: Sonatina] / CMC
  36. ^ Composer [Marian Ingoldsby] / CMC
  37. ^ Composer [Philip Martin] / CMC
  38. ^ Score [Philip Martin: Soundings] / CMC
  39. ^ Composer [Colman Pearce] / CMC
  40. ^ Composer [Eric Sweeney] / CMC
  41. ^ Composer [James Wilson] / CMC
  42. ^ Score [James Wilson: Five Preludes] / CMC
  43. ^ The Encyclopedia of Ireland - Lalor, Brian - Yale University Press
  44. ^ Royal Irish Academy of Music

[edit] External links