Charles Owen
recital

“One of the finest British pianists of his generation” Gramophone Magazine

PROGRAMME

Mozart: Fantasia in C minor K475

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasie, D760 

INTERVAL 

Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op 28

It is with the greatest of pleasure that we welcome back to Wainsgate Chapel the internationally recognised virtuoso Charles Owen. A great admirer of Hebden Bridge, Charles twice performed here as part of the Hebden Bridge Piano Festival and is now returning to Wainsgate having headlined at the first Wainsgate Piano Weekend in September 2024

Charles Owen enjoys an extensive international career performing a wide-ranging repertoire to outstanding critical acclaim. He appears at major UK venues such as Bridgewater Hall, The Sage, Wigmore Hall & Kings Place. Internationally, he has performed at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Brahms Saal in Vienna’s Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Melbourne Recital Centre.

A regular guest at UK festivals such as Aldeburgh, Bath, Cheltenham, Three Choirs and Ryedale he has also performed in Australia at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Townsville and the Verbier Festival, Switzerland. Charles’s concerto appearances have included the Philharmonia, Hallé, Aurora and London Philharmonic orchestras. He has enjoyed collaborations with many leading conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Ryan Wigglesworth, Nicholas Collon and Martyn Brabbins.

Charles’s acclaimed solo discography comprises piano music by JS Bach, Brahms, Fauré, Liszt, Janáček, Poulenc & Schumann. Chamber music albums include two-piano works by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky & Poulenc with Katya Apekisheva, a disc of Janáček, Suk & Dvorak with violinist Augustin Hadelich and the world premiere recordings of the Piano Quintet & ´Between Friendsˋ by Jonathan Dove. Charles Owen’s most recent album ‘De Profundis’ featuring the music of Liszt and Franck was released in February this year.

“A spectacular performance of unswerving commitment.” The Irish Times

“Charles Owen is a pianist who makes spontaneous decisions and is prepared to take a risk in performance and thus breathe new life into a familiar work.” International Piano

“Charles Owen is out of the best school of British pianism – bright, sensitive, unaffected and with playing informed by brainwork.” The Glasgow Herald

“A class above the rest… His performances are underpinned by an unwavering musicality that is enhanced by close attention to the score; listeners are immediately aware that great works have been analysed by the mind as well as the fingers.” International Piano