A Journey Through Beethoven Sonatas with Julian Jacobson

JULIAN JACOBSON

For half a century Julian Jacobson has been a vital presence on the British music scene as well in more than forty countries on five continents. He has given concerts in most of the principal UK venues and appeared at the major festivals including Aldeburgh, Bath, Brighton, Cheltenham, Dartington, Edinburgh, Huddersfield, Prussia Cove on Tour, and the Proms. Abroad he appears in North and South America, China and Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and in most European countries. As a chamber musician he has partnered distinguished musicians such as Ivry Gitlis, Sandor Vegh, Zara Nelsova, Lydia Mordkovich, Christian Lindberg, Leonidas Kavakos, Steven Isserlis, Nigel Kennedy, Raphael Wallfisch, the Brodsky and Chilingirian Quartets. A large and varied discography for labels including Decca Argo, Hyperion, Chandos, SOMM, Naxos and Meridian covers a repertoire from Beethoven to Gershwin and contemporary music.

His involvement with the Beethoven sonatas dates back to his time as Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in the 1990s where he gave one of his first complete cycles. He has since presented the 32 sonatas on eleven separate occasions, five of which were “marathon” performances where he played the complete cycle from memory in a single day, one of only two pianists to have done this. Most recently he presented the marathon in London and Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay as part of his 75th birthday celebrations, and further performances are planned in Berlin and Athens. He has given masterclasses on Beethoven in Paris, Budapest, Hong Kong, America for the American Beethoven Society and for various schools in the UK as well as EPTA. Since 2014 he also serves as Chairman of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe. In 2024 he is developing a parallel interest in French music, giving several performances of the complete 24 Debussy Preludes. A recording of the complete piano music of Georges Auric is planned for later this year.

Jacobson has given many world or UK premieres of works by major composers including Ligeti’s Etudes Book 1 in 1987 and Michael Nyman, who wrote the the piano trio “Time Will Pronounce” for his ensemble the Trio of London. His own compositions include five film scores including “To The Lighthouse” and “We Think The World Of You”, and several instrumental pieces published by Bardic Edition, as well as his highly acclaimed Gershwin transcriptions which he has recorded with his duo partner Mariko Brown.

He was one of the very first musicians to start a daily broadcast during lockdown, commencing on day two and continuing for six weeks with a different piece every day. From 1992 to 1996 he was Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Currently he teaches at the Royal College of Music London and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is Guest Professor at Xiamen University, China. For seventeen years (1988-2004) he was Artistic Director of the Paxos International Music Festival, Greece.

Julian was already performing and composing at a very early age. At 7 he began studying with Lamar Crowson (piano) and Arthur Benjamin (composition), and by the age of 10 he had four songs published. Later he studied at the Royal College of Music and at Queen’s College, Oxford, and had private lessons with the great Hungarian pianist Louis Kentner. He was also a founder- member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.

“Julian Jacobson is one of the finest living British pianists” - Musical Opinion