SOMM Recordings SOMMCD 0717
International Piano, Spring 2026
British pianist Leon McCawley returns to Somm with a programme of 19th-century music, bookended with nods to Bach. At its core is a compelling pairing: Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata preceded by the Andante favori, the stand-alone piece once intended as the Waldstein’s middle movement but put aside following a friend’s critique.
The Andante favori is busier than the Adagio that replaced it. On its own, however, it delights- especially with McCawley’s intelligent phrasing and clear affection for the piece. His Waldstein favours introspection over fireworks, every minute detail ostensibly pored over with care. The first movement’s tempo is just north of steady, the opening chords almost restrained; the restlessness of the movement persists without ever losing energy. The Adagio is moderately paced- faster than Pollini, slower than Kempff- but this admittedly heightens the magic of the transition into the third movement. This is a persuasive case for a different perspective.
Elsewhere, McCawley’s Chopin Barcarolle benefits from a similarly robust approach to the keyboard, offset by moments of glittery translucence. This more impassioned reading will speak to many. His tastefully sparing use of rubato is also refreshing. Liszt’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor (after Bach) and Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue showcase McCawley’s fluidity at its finest. Even in Franck’s rich textures, he pedals so skilfully that every detail is audible- no muddy walls of sound here. Full power is reserved for the piece’s most climactic moments which are breathtaking.
As well as technical brilliance, McCawley displays an ear for fine-tuned detail and a musical sensibility that seems as easy as breathing. I think an important marker of a great recording is one you can wholeheartedly admire, even it it doesn’t tick every one of your ‘personal taste’ boxes. This is a recital that oozes heart and sincerity, delivered with outstanding pianism. It’s a yes from me.
Ella Lee
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Diapason, March 2026
(translated from the French original)
Here we find again Leon McCawley with his eloquent phrasing in Liszt’s transcription of the [Bach] Prelude and Fugue BWV 543. The bass A sounds like a death knell beneath the rapid notes of the prelude. The fugue, swept along by the flow of clear articulation increases to a volume that takes its source from the resonance. Beethoven’s Andante favori charms with its delicacy, tenderness, and disarming simplicity. A sense of urgency animates the radiant Allegro con brio of the Waldstein Sonata. The playing is energetic and airy. McCawley shows a scrupulous respect for the text, particularly when holding back the tempo in the Adagio molto, where he carefully slurs the notes and measures the use of the pedal. This integrity goes hand in hand with the restraint handling of the melody. In the Rondo, the music gives birth to a new day in a superb halo of pedal, reanimating and emerging from the mist, the playing becoming ever more present. One admires the wild exuberance of the Prestissimo.
Under McCawley’s fingers, Chopin’s Berceuse is a jewel set with sonic iridescence, edged with gentle swirls that unfold and coil with elegance. His Barcarolle showcases a lyricism without heaviness, unfolding in the suppleness of its lines! We are led finally to nostalgic and sombre lands in Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue: from the arpeggiated chords of the Chorale shards of light burst forth. Articulation, soundscapes, cantabile sitting on top of a solid bass foundation are at the service of a reading that combines dramatic spirit and inspiration. ****
Jany Campello
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BBC Music Magazine, March 2026
“Keyed in: Leon McCawley presents a beautifully curated piano recital”
McCawley responds well to this repertoire, and he’s particularly impressive in the Bach, with its splendid Fugue ending with a rhapsodic outburst that links it to the freer style of the Prelude; and in the Franck, which he plays with just the right degree of expressive warmth and freedom. It’s good, too, to find McCawley unafraid to produce the blurred harmonies that result from following Beethoven’s pedal markings in the ‘Waldstein’ Sonata’s finale; and he tosses off the notoriously problematic pianissimo octave glissandos in the coda with aplomb. ****
Misha Donat
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Gramophone, March 2026
Leon McCawley has curated this mixed recital of substantial works with an astute ear for contrast and continuity. It proves ideal both for home listening and for the concert hall. The pianist commences with the Bach/Liszt organ Prelude and Fugue in A minor, focusing on contrapuntal clarity and careful scaling of the dynamics, so as not to let the octave doublings and moments of textural thickness lapse into pounding. As a result, when McCawley lets the Fugue’s concluding climax rip, the effect proves powerfully majestic.
Similarly, the graceful balance and control that McCawley brings to the Beethoven Andante favori‘s interchanging octaves between the hands masks the passage’s difficulty. This piece, of course, was Beethoven’s rejected slow movement for the recital’s next selection. The Waldstein‘s first movement stands out for McCawley’s crisp and well-differentiated articulation and attentive left-hand detailing. McCawley weighs the Rondo’s long pedal markings so that the blurring is obvious without belabouring the point.
McCawley’s nuanced filigree convinces most in the Chopin Berceuse’s polyphonic sequences. The Barcarolle gets off to a fluid and animated start. He takes meaningful time over the central episode’s détaché chords and in the coda’s thoughtfully parsed final pages.
Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue has been well served over nearly a century’s worth of recorded versions, including McCawley’s superb offering. His golden touch and discreet pedalling enliven the Prelude, while giving the composer’s a capriccio and molto espressivo directives their due. The Chorale is shapely and forward moving, yet with plenty of time for McCawley to linger just a hair when felicitous modulations occur. And the pianist’s suave technique enables him to navigate the Fugue’s densest contrapuntal labyrinths with minimum regrouping and adjustments. In short, McCawley’s Franck hold its own alongside the Murray Perahia (Sony, 10/91) and Stephen Hough (Hyperion, 4/97) reference versions as well as strong recent contenders. Somm’s resplendent sound creates the impression of hearing McCawley’s beautifully regulated Steinway D from a choice audience seat.
Jed Distler
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Colin’s Column, 17th February 2026
*Outstanding*
Leon McCawley packs bountiful musicianship into this (let me tell you now) very recommendable/superbly recorded programme that reports a pianist with no need to exaggerate, intervene or show-off, yet he is neither bland nor self-effacing, the music presented with personality, insight, and powerful focus, opening with a Bach Prelude and Fugue (for organ in A-minor, BWV543) transcribed by Liszt, a jubilant opening contrasted with Beethoven’s gentle Andante favori (intended as the slow movement of the ‘Waldstein’ Sonata) played invitingly by McCawley who then parades the ‘Waldstein’ itself with dexterity and grandeur, nothing forced and with many delightful touches, and then he essays Chopin’s Berceuse with consummate regard for the singing line and its expressive augmentation, followed by the Barcarolle, ending with the Franck – searching, rippling, tender and mighty – the piano wonderfully present.
Colin Anderson
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Classical Music Daily, 8th January 2026
“A total delight”
The recording opens with a transcription by Liszt of Bach’s A minor Prelude and Fugue, BWV 543, originally for organ. This is the first of the Bach preludes and Fugues that Liszt transcribed from 1842-50 and the set was catalogued as S 4562 in Liszt’s output. McCawley’s touch is gorgeous, clean and perfectly weighted. In the prelude the crescendo from about thirty seconds in is beautifully controlled, and I am impressed with the balance between the parts in the fugue. Many pianists give undue prominence to the bass so that it booms out. Leon McCawley resists this, even in the most climactic section.
The Beethoven piece, Andante favori, was a favourite of mine in my youth and was an enjoyable work to play. I did not know that it was originally intended to be a movement of the Waldstein Sonata, but Beethoven decided not to go ahead with its inclusion as a colleague criticised it as being too long for its purpose. It is fortunate, therefore that Beethoven did not discard it completely. In this performance I am impressed with McCawley’s overall realisation of the work and the changes of register and character that he manages so masterfully. The little dance-like middle section is a total delight. Hearing him play this work has brought back the fondness that I felt when I learned it all those many years ago.
The Waldstein is one of my favourite Beethoven Sonatas, and alas, I never got to learn it. Leon McCawley has an obvious affection for this work and a flawless technique to bring it off. He also exercises admirable restraint as it is a work which is often banged out by many pianists. In this recording, all the boundless enthusiasm is there, but it is a refined and polished performance with moments of reflection rather than brash bravura, and his sound is never forced. He also, as has been evidenced earlier, has masterly control of crescendos and his pianissimos are breathtaking. He also phrases exceptionally well and the music breathes. The shorter second movement is almost reverent, and the silence at the end of the phrases and in the rests is a strong feature and can be unconvincing in the hands of a lesser pianist. There needs to be firmness at times, and always a fine cantabile line. I cannot fault the pianist’s approach. The final movement contains many of the qualities of the two previous movements and in a lot of ways is the hardest one to bring off. Leon McCawley is dazzling. His control of the pedal and the cleanness of his execution are a joy to hear.
The beautiful Chopin Berceuse Op 57 is… followed by the Barcarolle Op. 60. This is a very difficult piece to perform convincingly and I enjoyed the conception and performance very much – especially the second subject, which is more wistful.
The last three tracks are of Cesar Franck’s great piano masterpiece from 1884: the Prelude, Chorale and Fugue. One does not hear this work as often as I would like as I am very fond of it. I was most impressed with this recording, for its cleanness, logical progression, dazzling technique and the fine dynamic control. It is a great work to end this recital.
This is an exceptionally fine recital from a well respected and loved British pianist and I do not believe that any discerning listener will be at all disappointed. Certainly, this is a disc I would not hesitate to recommend.
Geoff Pearce