Viola Recital by Charles Bodman Whittaker

This exciting programme by Charles Bodman Whittaker (viola) with Roy Howat (piano) showcases the expressive virtuosity of the viola featuring the UK premiere of a recent work by leading French composer Éric Tanguy (b. 1968) alongside twentieth-century classics by Frank Bridge and Paul Hindemith, and culminates in Brahms’ powerfully expressive F Minor Sonata, one of the crowning glories of his late chamber works.

Programme:

Frank Bridge Two Pieces (1905-8)
Éric Tanguy Rhapsodie (2017) UK Premier
Paul Hindemith Sonata for solo viola Op. 25 No. 1 (1922)
Johannes Brahms Sonata in F Minor Op. 120 No.1 (1894)

Ticket price will include a free glass of Bucks Fizz.

Charles Bodman Whittaker

Cardiff-born violist Charles Bodman Whittaker comes from a musical family and began his musical training aged 6. Studying both viola and violin with Cardiff teacher Ted Wilson, he won Best String Player prize at the South Glamorgan Festival of Young Musicians while still at school. After completing his studies at the Royal College of Music with Simon Rowland-Jones and Jonathan Barritt, he was awarded a Postgraduate Scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study with Matthew Jones and received “Commendation for Excellence in Recital Performance” in 2020. Charles has a particular interest in contemporary music which he likes to feature in his programmes. Recent solo performances include at the Penarth Chamber Music Festival, Saint David’s Hall Young Artists’ Showcase, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Cardiff University, Milton Court Concert Hall and the Institut français de Londres. He has also performed in public masterclasses with Ofer Falk, Jennifer Stumm, Jerzy Kosmala, David Le Page, Peter Hanson, and Philip Heyman, as well as with the Sacconi and Harlem String Quartets.

A keen chamber musician, Charles founded the Trio Silvanus, an ensemble for flute, viola and harp, which has performed at the Institut français de Londres as well as in Cardiff. He first appeared at the Highgate Festival in June 2021 with the Alacris String Quartet and his more recently formed Bodman String Quartet gave its debut performance at LSO St Luke’s in February 2022. He will be performing in the Guildhall’s Chamber Music Festival in July. As an orchestral player, Charles and has played in Co-Principal position in side-by-side projects with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Australian Chamber Orchestra and was Principal Viola of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. In addition to playing with the RCM and Guildhall Symphony Orchestras in which he has also been section principal, other orchestral performances include with the Candida String Ensemble, Resonate Symphony Orchestra, Aleph Orchestra and Harrow Ensemble. Charles has performed at venues such as the Barbican Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, Cadogan Hall and Saint David’s Hall under conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martyn Brabbins, Jac van Steen, Thomas Zehetmaier, Martin André, Carlo Rizzi, John Wilson, Juraj Valčuha and Thomas Søndergård. After completing his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama this summer, Charles is looking forward to taking up a Fellowship position with Southbank Sinfonia in September 2022.

Roy Howat

Scots-born pianist Roy Howat is internationally known for his concerts, lively masterclasses and lectures, musical writing and editions. After studies in Glasgow and Cambridge, Roy made a close study of French repertoire in Paris with the legendary pianist Vlado Perlemuter, who had worked closely with Fauré and Ravel. Roy is author of two ground-breaking books – Debussy in proportion (1983) and The Art of French piano music: Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Chabrier (2009), and since the 1980s has been one of the founding editors of the Paris-based complete Debussy edition, for which he edited most of Debussy’s solo piano music. He has also produced editions of music by Handel, Chabrier and Chopin, along with a major series of Fauré’s music for Peters Edition. He appears as pianist on numerous CDs of piano music, chamber music and songs. Roy has variously been on the staff of the Guildhall School of Music, Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music; he presently holds posts as Keyboard Research Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music and Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, along with visiting appointments in Australia.

THE HIGHGATE SCHOOL CHAPEL
Salon Music would like to thank Father Robert and Highgate School for allowing our musicians to perform in the chapel. Any monies received by the chapel will go to the music department of the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, a Highgate sixth form sister school catering to students from one of London's more deprived communities.