Llyr Williams
…Williams communes with the piano as if seeking new layers in a palimpsest. The results, as in the Op 10 set last Monday, can be revelatory… 
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, 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. Most recently he spent a week at the Verbier Festival where he gave a solo recital, accompanied Bryn Terfel in an evening of lieder and played a chamber music concert with Kirill Trussov, Ye-Eun Choi, Lawrence Power and Maximilian Hornung. He also appeared at the Handelbeurs Concertzaal in Gent and took part in the Festival Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse. Other commitments this season include 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 Hofkappelle, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In July he returns to take part in the East Neuk Festival.
Last year saw the release of his latest CD featuring music by Mussorgsky, Debussy and Liszt. Llŷr Williams is the subject of two films produced for S4C: one won a Welsh BAFTA for Best Music Programme, the second featured his debut at Carnegie Hall.
Williams has a great love of lieder which leads him to take part in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition on a regular basis.
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. From 2000-02 he was a ‘Shinn’ Fellow at the Academy, coaching singers and studying conducting. He was also an active member of the Live Music Now! scheme for several years and in 2004 received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.
September 2011
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