Thursday 27^th January 2011
7:30pm

York2

(4 Hands - 1 Piano)

YORK2 has a fine reputation as the 'duo with a difference', gained through John and Fiona's exploration of larger scale and contemporary scores alongside the rich and familiar duet repertoire. They have given concerts for societies and festivals in the UK and Australia, on BBC Radio 3, CBC TV and TV Ontario (in both the UK and Canada), on boats on the Great Lakes, at garden parties, at the Salzburg Festival, at elegant Edwardian soirées, marathon recitals, concertos at the Barbican Centre and South Bank in London etc.

Their recordings on the LondonHall label include a mixed programme of minimalist music by contemporary Austrian composer Norbert Zehm and, released in January 2001 but since deleted, Holst’s 'The Planets' (the world première recording of the composer’s four-hands version) and complete solo piano works for Black Box Music, and two-piano works of Poulenc, also on Black Box.  Gramophone Magazine (June 2001) commented on their ‘likeable spirit and shapely accounts’ and noted the ‘exemplary polish’ of the Holst recording.

Fiona has taught at several London schools and in the junior departments of the Royal College, Trinity and Guildhall. At present she is with the piano staff at St. Paul’s Girls’ School and Eltham College, both in London.  John was Professor at Guildhall for 33 years and is Senior Music Head of Department at St. Paul's Girls' School – Holst’s own school for 20 years in the early 20^th century and where he discovered the four hands score of The Planets.

Recently they toured Australia, playing in Sydney and Canberra.  They gave a highly successful recital at London’s Wigmore Hall marking the 30^th anniversary of John’s début there.  The Independent and Financial Times reviewers were enthusiastic, concluding by saying that ‘the playing was enough to confirm the evening in its ambition, scope and sheer grit as something exceptional – duly exciting a prolonged ovation from its capacity audience.’

York2 is to record their unique and special repertoire in 2010 – Holst’s Planets, Debussy’s La Mer, Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps and Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole - on a Nimbus double album.

Independently and together Fiona and John have rounded, versatile careers that combine concerts (John working in particular with celebrated cellist Raphael Wallfisch) editing and reviewing, composing for major publishers, adjudicating, teaching and coaching at the highest level in Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Bermuda, Venezuela.  They live in South London and have a strong interest in the culture and history of Egypt.