ALUN HODDINOTT / FRANK BRIDGE / E.J. MOREAN / ALAN RAWSTHORNE / etc
British Piano Concertos David Wilde, Philip Fowke, Malcolm Binns, Howard Shelley, Peter Wallfisch (piano) / London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, New Philharmonia, etc [ Lyrita / 4 CD Box Set - released 25/Jun/2015 ] "A set of 'British Piano Concertos' compiled from the Lyrita catalogue is a very tempting proposition…[the] sound is consistently excellent, the notes are informative and at a budget price, it's an extremely attractive way of acquiring a lot of... |
HUMMEL
Piano Concerto in E major / Double Concerto Hagai Shaham (piano) / London Mozart Players / Howard Shelley (piano/director) with Hagai Shaham (violin) [ Chandos / CD - released 6/Apr/2008 ] 'Shelley… is outstanding in this music, synthesizing the classical and romantic elements perfectly.A natural Mozartian, he allies his poise and clarity to a fearless technique, and absorbs Hummels most ostentatious demands into the musical fabric,... |
CLEMENTI
Complete Piano Sonatas Vol 1 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/Feb/2008 ] 'Listening to this opener in Howard Shelley's complete cycle, recorded on a pristine-sounding modern piano, it is hard to imagine anyone else ever making them sound better … Shelley reveals this by treating each and every one of these works with the... |
JOHANN BAPTIST CRAMER
Cramer: Piano Concertos Nos 1, 3 & 6 Howard Shelley (piano/conductor), London Mozart Players [ Hyperion The Classical Piano Concerto Vol 7 / CD - released 2/Oct/2020 ] "the immaculate playing here is alert and personable in a way that transcends contentious issues of style." BBC Music |
JOHANN BAPTIST CRAMER
Cramer: Piano Concertos Nos 4 & 5 Howard Shelley (piano/conductor), London Mozart Players [ Hyperion The Classical Piano Concerto Vol 6 / CD - released 28/Jun/2019 ] Listening to these fluent, expressive performances, it's difficult to see how even Cramer-one of the great virtuosos of his day-could have matched the effortless mastery so characteristic of Howard Shelley's pianism. |
CLEMENTI
Capriccios & Variations Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/Sep/2011 ] "Even the slightest, most trivial pieces are enhanced by Howard Shelley's brisk tempos, and he's served by an infallible technique, from virtuoso finger-dexterity to deeply expressive, spacious reflection elsewhere." (Five Stars BBC Music) |
CLEMENTI
Complete Piano Sonatas Vol 2 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/Sep/2008 ] |
CLEMENTI
Complete Piano Sonatas Vol 3 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/May/2009 ] 'Shelley's third volume makes abundantly clear that Clementi at best was an outstanding composer … He's well served by lively and immediate recording' (BBC Music Magazine) |
CLEMENTI
Complete Piano Sonatas Vol 4 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/Oct/2009 ] Howard Shelley's splendid series of Clementi's complete piano sonatas continues with a fourth volume containing some of the composer's most important works. |
CLEMENTI
Complete Piano Sonatas Vol 5 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/May/2010 ] "...there is nothing to reproach [Shelley] for in any of these performances, which, as ever in this series, are clearly played, intelligently detailed and perfectly recorded." Gramophone Magazine: Editor's Choice - July 2010 |
CLEMENTI
Complete Piano Sonatas Vol 6 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 20/Sep/2008 ] 'This is a most attractive and sparkling account on Clement's final sonatas and brings to a satisfying conclusion Howard Shelley's survey of Clementi… the sound captured on the recording more than lives up to expectations' (International Record Review) |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 1 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Feb/2013 ] "it's good to see Howard Shelley embarking on a six-volume reappraisal of these works, so often seen as lacking the depth of Chopin and the fire of Liszt. Fans of fireworks won't be disappointed though...With playing of this quality this is going to... |
MENDELSSOHN
The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 2 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Jun/2014 ] Shelley here presents the second instalment of a six-volume set of Mendelssohn's complete solo piano music-perhaps the least well-known part of the composer's repertoire. |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 3 Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Oct/2015 ] "Mendelssohn and Howard Shelley are a musical marriage made in heaven. Stylish and delectably light-fingered, Shelley makes a flawless case in Vol 3 of his [Complete Solo Piano Music of Mendelssohn]…if anyone can persuade us of Mendelssohn's quality |
JAN LADISLAV DUSSEK
Dussek: Piano Concertos Ulster Orchestra, Howard Shelley (piano & conductor) [ Hyperion The Classical Piano Concerto Vol 1 / CD - released 20/Aug/2014 ] 'Shelley plays all these pieces as stylishly as ever … these pieces are a real find, and the disc augurs well for the series' (BBC Music Magazine) |
RACHMANINOV
Moments Musicaux Howard Shelley (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 10/May/2005 ] GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE - 'Masterly pianism... a refined awareness of Rachmaninov's sound-world. The recording is eminently realistic and natural' - Penguin Guide to Compact Discs |
HUMMEL
Piano Works (Incls Sonata Op 13) Howard Shelley (piano) [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 3/Apr/2000 ] Unusual and rare repertoire from Hummel! |
RACHMANINOV
Preludes op 23 Howard Shelley, piano [ Hyperion / CD - released 17/May/2005 ] 'An essential recommendation' - Penguin Guide |
RACHMANINOV
Preludes op 32 Howard Shelley, piano [ Hyperion / CD - released 10/May/2005 ] 'Exceptional finesse...mirrored in beautifully natural and refined sound' - BBC Record Review, First Choice |
FRANK BRIDGE
Orchestral Works, Volume 3 (Includes Sir Roger de Coverley: A Christmas Dance ) Howard Shelley (piano) / BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Richard Hickox [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 18/Nov/2004 ] 'The performances exhibit commitment and a strong sense of familiarirty with all these works. Hickox is thoroughly persuasive at all times, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales delivers the goods with deserved confidence... Full marks for this... |