The Welsh pianist, Llŷr Williams, brings a profound musical intelligence to his work as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. He has performed with orchestras around the world, including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Mozart Players, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, I Pomeriggi Musicali and the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg. He also appears regularly at the BBC Proms in London and has given many remarkable performances at the Edinburgh Festival, including an astonishing performance of Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata in 2010.

Throughout 2010 and 2011 Llŷr Williams performed a Beethoven sonata cycle around the UK, including an epic two-week period in August 2011 at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh during the Festival. His collaboration with violinist Alexander Janiczek continued with a Beethoven series in Perth and at the Aschau Festival. He spent a week at the Verbier Festival where he gave a solo recital and accompanied Bryn Terfel in an evening of lieder. He also appeared at the Handelbeurs Concertzaal in Gent and took part in the Festival Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse. Other commitments in 2011/12 season included two concerts in BBC Radio 3’s Beethoven sonata cycle in LSO St Luke’s; recitals in Glasgow, Steinfurt, Schloss Elmau and the Wigmore Hall, as well as concertos with Meininger Hofkapelle, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Most recently Llŷr Williams stepped in at a very short notice replacing Yefim Bronfman for the performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No3 with the LSO under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. In July he returned to the East Neuk Festival and in August he gave a piano recital at Edinburgh International Festival.

His current season will include a recital at Handelsbeurs Concertzaal Gent, his début at the Istanbul Recitals Series, an appearance at Aschau Festival with Alexander Janiczek, a performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with Berner Kammerorchester and Britten’s piano concerto with Limburgs Symphony. As pianist in residence at Galerie Caernarfon repertoire will feature piano sonatas of the 20th century including a programme of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier and Ives’ Concord Sonata.

2010 saw the release of a solo CD featuring music by Mussorgsky, Debussy and Liszt, on the Signum Label. In 2012, a second disc was released by Signum, featuring works by Liszt. Both discs were met with critical acclaim. Also recently released is a live CD from the 2012 East Neuk Festival, containing Beethoven’s Op109 and Op110 sonatas, available at www.eastneukfestival.com Llŷr Williams is the subject of two films produced for S4C: one won a Welsh BAFTA for Best Music Programme, and the second featured his debut at Carnegie Hall.

Williams has a great love of lieder which leads him to regularly take part in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, as an official accompanist.

Born in 1976 in Pentrebychan, North Wales, Llŷr Williams read music at The Queen’s College, Oxford and went on to take up a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music where he won every available prize and award. He was also an active member of the Live Music Now! scheme for several years, was selected for the Young Concert Artists in 2002, and in 2004 received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Most recently he was the recipient of the prestigious South Bank Show award for his interpretation of the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in Edinburgh last summer.

Jan 2013
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