The Mid-Twentieth-Century Concert Pianist

Julian Hellaby examines how British pianists active in the middle years of the last century started, built and sustained their careers. Using once-eminent performers such as Peter Katin, Moura Lympany and Denis Matthews as case-studies, Hellaby compares the state of affairs from then with the competition- and commerce-driven conditions of more recent times, looking at contemporary performers such as Clare Hammond, Ashley Wass and Llyr Williams. Hellaby examines the role of debut recitals, competitions, auditions, interviews, agents, broadcasts, recordings, music clubs, orchestral work, style, image, management and artist promotion within the UK, making comparisons on a then-and-now basis.