Forthcoming London Wigmore Hall recital
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“Bebbington’s powers of subtle characterisation and sensitive range of touch are shown in his extremely sensitive portrayals…….. The cunningly-shaped programme opens with an exceptionally powerful performance of the 1915 Rhapsody, one of Ireland’s most important piano works. Despite strong competing accounts…. Bebbington is providing us with the well-nigh definitive take on this quintisentially English repertoire.”
BBC Music Instrumental Choice, September BBC Music Magazine 5*****
“Bebbington’s fluent and poetic style is well suited to Ireland’s romantic early pieces. The 1906 First Rhapsody receives its world premiere recording – why Ireland withheld it for so long isn’t evident from the quality of the music. The famous Holy Boy is here in its original version, performed with touching simplicity. The Ballad of London Nights is picaresquely atmospheric, showing Bebbington at his most alluring.”
The Sunday Telegraph, August 2010 Michael Kennedy 4****
“The lonely life of John Ireland (1879-1962) has always seemed more interesting than his music: orphaned young; overshadowed by his pupils, notably Britten, who apparently found his classes dull; a brief, chaste marriage to a teenager 30 years his junior; and worse still, a prolonged under-appreciation of his compositions. But the new enthusiasm for English music of this period has led to a revival of interest, as this excellent series by the young British pianist Mark Bebbington demonstrates. Collectors may welcome the world premiere recording of First Rhapsody (1906), but newcomers will find these miniatures, full of French impressionistic colour and English wistfulness, a fine starting point.”
Observer, July 2010, Fiona Maddocks
“Aside from their phenomenal difficulty and expansive scale, there is no reason why these two boldly romantic sonatas by Benjamin Dale (1885-1943) and William Hurlstone (1876-1906) should have faded from view. Mark Bebbington, indefatigable in exploring the nether reaches of the English piano repertoire, tackles their mind-boggling bravura with panache while communicating their lyrical beauty , fantasy and passion.”
Daily Telegraph, Geoffrey Norris, July 2010 4****
“The premiere recording of the Sonata in F minor by the tragically short-lived Hurlstone is a pleasing late-romantic romp. But Benjamin Dale’s work is more unusual, a meandering, discursive essay in variation form that constantly holds one’s attention. Bebbington tackles the formidable challenges of both works with skill and sensitivity.”
Classical Music Magazine, July 2010 4****
“Mark Bebbington has done British music proud, and his forays into the less-trodden areas of British piano music have been greeted with universal praise. His survey of John Ireland’s piano music has reached Volume 3. For my taste and even with strong competition on Naxos and Nimbus, Bebbington’s is the finest of these discs, not least because he is the best recorded of the three. Listen to his rhythmic drive in the excellent First Rhapsody and his charm and agility in the Ballade of London Nights…….”
Pianist Magazine, August/September 2010 Recommended
“The leading British pianist is making waves with his recordings and recitals of the neglected British repertoire. He talks to editor Erica Worth about his passion for this music and about his varied and diverse musical enthusiasms.”
Pianist,
August-September 2010
Cover Story: Mark Bebbington
The always-enterprising SOMM label has placed much faith in the highly gifted young pianist Mark Bebbington, whose discography on that label seems to grow by the month. One of the most interesting of his recent releases on Somm has been four British works for piano and orchestra, which in repertoire terms go together extremely well… Mark Bebbington seemingly sails through its problems with consummate ease, brilliantly partnered by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Howard Williams.
… All in all, this is a highly desirable and strongly recommended disc.
5***** Musical Opinion, June 2010
“Two Premiere recordings and two unfamiliar works, eloquently performed by Mark Bebbington and the CBSO, combine to make this an essential disc for anyone with a taste for mid- twentieth century UK repertoire, now creeping back into fashion. An unexpected and fascinating disc.”
Observer, August 2009
”Mark Bebbington continues to enhance his already glowing reputation with an intriguing disc of four concertante works. Bebbington is adept at getting to the lyrical heart of each work….”
BBC Music Magazine 5*****, October 2009
”Mark Bebbington and conductor David Curtis are wholehearted in their advocacy of this fascinating piece (Bax Piano Concertino). Bebbington is also impressive in Ireland’s attractive concerto with its brilliany jazzy episodes and its lyrical intensity.”
Sunday Telegraph, 11th October 2009, 4**** Michael Kennedy
”Bebbington brings inventive impulsiveness combined with an interpretation that ranges from utmost delicacy to passionate intensity – in sum, it is masterful.”
International Piano Magazine, September/October 2009
”All told, a most successful disc of music (John Ireland) that deserves to be better known.”
Gramophone, November 2009, Edward Greenfield
”Bebbington has almost single-handedly demonstrated that 20th- century British piano scores have an exciting role to play in the concert hall and recording studio.”