Llŷr Williams

Llŷr Williams – pianistLlyr Williams

Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams is widely admired for his profound musical intelligence, and for the expressive and communicative nature of his interpretations. He has performed with all the major UK orchestras under conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Jiří Bělohlávek, Carlo Rizzi, Vasily Petrenko, Jaime Martín, Osmo Vanska , Joseph Swensen, Grant Llewellyn and Jac Van Steen, and he has a particularly longstanding relationship with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with whom he has in recent seasons performed concertos ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Bartók and Mathias.

As a recitalist, Llŷr Williams regularly performs at venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, Perth Concert Hall, the St David’s and Dora Stoutzker Halls in Cardiff, and the Edinburgh and East Neuk Festivals. His long association with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has included acclaimed multi-recital cycles of Beethoven, Schubert,and Chopin. The 2023-24 season sees him returning to Wigmore Hall, as well as the start of a six-recital Haydn-Mozart-Schumann series at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Further afield, the season includes return invitations to the Festival Cultural de Mayo in Guadalajara for a complete Beethoven Sonata cycle, the Capital Region Classical series in Schenectady, USA and Salle Bourgie in Montreal, and his debut at the ‘Le Piano Symphonique’ festival in Lucerne.

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Llŷr Williams has also performed as a chamber musician alongside artists including Bryn Terfel, Natalie Clein, Tim Hugh, Katarina Nazarova and Jamie Barton. In 2023-34, collaborations include projects with Mark Padmore, violist Rosalind Ventris and baritone Andrei Kymach. His particular interest in song repertoire is reflected in his 20-year association as one of the two official pianists of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Llŷr Williams’ discography reflects his long-standing partnership with Signum Records; January 2024 sees the release of his latest recording of works by Schumann; his previous releases include the 8-disc box-set ‘A Schubert Journey’ (2020), the 12-volume ‘Beethoven Unbound’ (2018), a ‘Wagner Without Words’ double album (2014) and highlights from Liszt’s ‘Années de pèlerinage‘ (2012). He has also recorded William Mathias’ second Piano Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as works by Welsh composers for the Tŷ Cerdd label.

A former BBC New Generation Artist and Borletti-Buitoni Trust award recipient, Llŷr Williams was born in Pentrebychan, North Wales, and read music at The Queen’s College, Oxford before taking up a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and in 2017 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Wales. He is also currently Artist-in-Association at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, a patron of the Gower Festival, and Associate Artist at the Cowbridge Festival.

Contact:
Nicolas Papageorgiou (Director)
Aude-Marie Auphan (Director)


Videos

Chopin: Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op. 44
(Salle Bourgie, November 2023)
Mozart: Sonata in B-flat, K.333
(East Neuk Festival 2021)
Debussy: Reflets dans l’eau
(East Neuk Festival 2021)
Schubert: Fantasy Sonata in G, D894 & Sonata in C minor, D958
(Wigmore Hall, February 2021)

Concert Dates

January-June 2024

Date & Time Venue Details
Friday 12th January 2024
13:00
Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom

Solo recital

Sunday 21st January 2024
11:00
Hotel Schweizerhof, Luzern, Switzerland

Solo recital

Thursday 25th January 2024
19:30
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Solo recital

Sunday 25th February 2024
15:00
Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom

Recital with Roman Arndt

Sunday 28th April 2024
14:30
Trinity College, Oxford, United Kingdom

Recital with Rosalind Ventris

Thursday 2nd May 2024
19:30
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Solo recital

Sunday 12th May 2024
18:00
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Tuesday 14th May 2024
20:30
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Wednesday 15th May 2024
18:00
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Thursday 16th May 2024
20:45
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Sunday 19th May 2024
18:00
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Tuesday 21th May 2024
20:30
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Wednesday 22nd May 2024
20:30
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Thursday 23rd May 2024
20:30
Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara, Mexico

Solo recital

Saturday 1st June
The Pembrokeshire Retreat, Rhoshill, United Kingdom

Solo recital

Sunday 2nd June
The Pembrokeshire Retreat, Rhoshill, United Kingdom

Solo recital

 

Reviews


Gallery


Links

Useful links

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
www.rwcmd.ac.uk

Signum Classics
www.signumrecords.com