Fauré's Piano Music
9-11 March 2001
Kenneth van Barthold
Ability

A close look at the Barcarolles, Impromptus, Preludes and Nocturnes of this often misunderstood great French composer. Excepting the Preludes, most of the other pieces are long and while every attempt will be made to cover what people have prepared, there can be no guarantee of complete playthroughs. The workshop will concentrate mainly on matters of style and technique in Fauré's complex passage work and phasing.

Kenneth van Barthold was born in Saurabaya, Java and came to England aged nine. As a boy treble he sang for Queen Mary and was a Gold Medallist at the Royal School of Church Music. He held British and French Government Scholarships at the Paris Conservatoire where he was for four years in the class of Yves Nat.

His subsequent career has been wide ranging including work both here, in France, Canada and Israel. He has recorded for Decca/Argo and now has his own label, Darmo. For several years he concentrated on the forte piano - now to a large extent lapsed - but never at the expense of more modern, particularly French repertoire. He is probably best known for his many appearances on BBC TV, where he wrote and presented over twenty documentaries.

He taught for five years at Trinity College of Music, before leaving to take over the formation of the music department at the City Literary Institute where he taught for 41 years. He has also run an interactive Piano Workshop in conjunction with Edinburgh University for the past thirty-three years. In addition he has given workshops in several countries as well as sitting on the international juries of various piano competitions.