Alasdair Beatson

Pianist Alasdair Beatson is highly regarded as a distinctive and vibrant musician. Highlights of the 12/13 season include appearances as soloist with Britten Sinfonia, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, solo recitals in Glasgow's The Piano Festival and Bath's Mozartfest, and a BBC Radio 3 Recital live from Wigmore Hall with Natalie Clein. His recent CD of Mendelssohn piano music with SOMM Recordings received praise for highly sensitive playing of rare insight (Classic FM Magazine) and was awarded the 'Outstanding' accolade of International Record Review.

As one of the most established chamber pianists of his generation, Alasdair collaborates in a wide and varied repertoire with some of today's finest musicians. During 2012 he appears in festivals in Belgium (Resonances), USA (Charlottesville, Virginia), Switzerland (Ernen), Aldeburgh, Plush and Oxford Chamber Music Festival; he plays alongside such musicians as Adrian Brendel, the Doric String Quartet, Guy Johnston, Pekka Kuusisto and Pieter Wispelwey. A regular participant of IMS Prussia Cove, Alasdair was invited to join their touring groups in 2007 and 2011. He is Artistic Director of the chamber music festival Musique Marsac.

Alasdair enjoys a regular association with the Scottish Ensemble. In addition to numerous chamber music projects, he has twice toured with them as concerto soloist in Shostakovich's Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings alongside Alison Balsom, culminating in a sold out performance at Wigmore Hall, and with violinist and artistic director Jonathan Morton in Mendelssohn's double concerto, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

Often attracted to less familiar repertoire, Alasdair's approach to programming has been described as canny and uncompromising (Classical Source). His debut solo CD 'the opus 1?s of Schumann, Brahms, Grieg and Berg'was released on SOMM Recordings in 2009 to critical acclaim. Other uncommon works explored include Debussy's own arrangement for solo piano of his ballet Jeux, Faur's rarely performed Fantaisie for piano and orchestra, Hindemith's Four Temperaments, the complete solo piano music of Ludwig Thuille, and piano trio arrangements of Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and Janacek's Kreutzer Sonata. Keen to collaborate directly with living composers, Alasdair has worked closely with George Benjamin, Harrison Birtwistle, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Heinz Holliger.