NEWS

4:05 pm15 May, 2024

EXCELLENT REVIEWS FOR ‘NATURAL CONNECTION’

Leon has received some excellent reviews for his latest CD ‘Natural Connection’ on SOMM Recordings:

‘This scintillatingly varied recital combines sensuous virtuosity, compelling charm and musical probity. Highly recommended.’ Gramophone

‘a recital of enormous pictorial charm’ Pianist Magazine

‘The fluidity and freedom of his playing benefits from excellent sound’ Diapason

‘The main element that unites this series of 21 small piano pieces by ten composers is that they are all miniature […]

4:13 pm10 October, 2023

‘ELEGANCE AND VIRTUOSITY’ IN MEXICO

Leon has returned from a highly successful recital tour in Mexico making his debuts at the En Blanco y Negro Festival in Mexico City, the Festival Internacional de Piano Sala Beethoven in Monterrey and Festival Internacional de Piano in Torreón. Monterrey’s El Norte praised the ‘elegance and virtuosity’ of his pianism together with his ‘deeply emotional interpretation’ drawing ‘bravos from the public’. ‘The audience gave him a […]

2:21 pm17 April, 2023

BACK IN THE RECORDING STUDIO

Leon was recently back in the studio at Menuhin Hall recording a compilation disc for SOMM Recordings of piano music inspired by the natural world including works by composers such as Bartók, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Tchaikovsky. The disc is due to be released in January 2024 so watch this space!

4:02 pm25 February, 2023

‘A PIANIST WHO FINDS THE HUMANITY IN THE MUSIC AND EMBODIES IT’

Leon performed recently at the Fanny Davies International Piano Series at St James Guernsey and received a fine review in the Guernsey Press:

‘Until I heard Leon McCawley play, I’d never have considered so dry a virtue as ‘respect’ to feature in my reasons for my being so utterly captivated by a musician’s performance. But mulling it over with fellow audience members, it became clear that this was […]

4:02 pm15 June, 2022

‘MAGNIFICENTLY JUDGED PERFORMANCE’ IN SINGAPORE

Leon has received a very impressive review from the The Straits Times for his recent solo recital performance for Singapore International Piano Festival at Victoria Concert Hall on June 12th:
“British pianist Leon McCawley’s recital returned to the classical world of Vienna, represented by Haydn’s masterly Variations in F minor and Mozart’s rarely heard Sonata in F major (K533/494), brought out with gravitas that was both touching and moving. […]
2:47 pm28 November, 2021

NEW RELEASE!

Leon’s fourth volume of Haydn Piano Sonatas has recently been released on SOMM Recordings and has already been lauded as “one of McCawley’s finest discs to date” by International Piano Magazine. See the whole review HERE.

10:58 am23 August, 2021

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT WIGMORE HALL FOR 21/22 SEASON

Leon will be one of Wigmore Hall’s Artists in Residence during the 2021/22 season. He begins his series of four concerts performing late works by Haydn, Mozart and Schubert on 30th September and further recitals will take place on 1st December 2021, 9th March 2022 and 29th June 2022.

 

6:02 pm7 March, 2021

LIVESTREAM RECITAL ON MARCH 19TH AT WIGMORE HALL

Leon is so pleased to be giving another livestream recital at Wigmore Hall on March 19th, performing works by Schubert, Grieg and Schumann. This will be available to watch on all of Wigmore Hall’s social media platforms for 90 days. Click HERE to watch the full performance.

7:45 pm20 November, 2020

NEW CD RELEASE!

Leon is very happy to announce the new CD release of Haydn Sonatas Volume 3 on SOMM Recordings, now available online HERE. This is Leon’s ninth disc on the enterprising SOMM label and continues his exploration of Haydn’s rich and varied sonatas following on from highly acclaimed Volumes 1 and 2. Look out for Volume 4 next year!

2:40 pm19 October, 2020

‘PURE POETRY’: EXCELLENT REVIEW OF WIGMORE HALL RECITAL

Leon has received an excellent review in Seen and Heard International of his solo recital and livestream at Wigmore Hall on 10th October: “He displayed enormous sensitivity and tenderness while also breathing life into the more dramatic elements of the work [Schubert Sonata D664] and the strong dynamic contrasts. McCawley’s playing [in Janáčeks’ On an Overgrown Path] was nuanced and insightful, crystallising the very […]

11:49 am7 July, 2020

LEON McCAWLEY’s YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Leon’s YouTube channel has expanded considerably during the lockdown and you can now find over 60 videos of his live concert performances there for easy viewing. Please take a look and subscribe to the channel HERE. Let the music play!

2:23 pm6 May, 2020

LEON IS TELEVISION GUEST ON BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2020

Leon was invited to be the Television Guest on the recent BBC4 TV broadcast of the BBC Young Musician 2020 Keyboard Final and joined presenter Anna Lapwood to offer his expert opinion on the five selected pianists. The programme is available to watch on BBC iPlayer throughout May.

6:18 pm20 February, 2020

‘SPELLBINDING’ BEETHOVEN WITH ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Leon’s recent performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Domingo Hindoyan has received a wonderful review in the Cambridge Independent:

“McCawley gave a spellbinding performance of this concerto…[he] was superlative in the first movement’s lengthy cadenza (one of three Beethoven wrote for the concerto), and in the expansive and serene Largo where, towards the end, […]

3:05 pm14 September, 2019

‘SPARKLING’ BBC RADIO 3 RECORD REVIEW FOR HAYDN SONATAS VOLUME II

Leon’s latest release of Haydn’s Sonatas Volume II for SOMM Recordings was featured today on Andrew McGregor’s BBC Record Review (listen from 4:00 into the broadcast- available on the BBC iPlayer until 13th October):

“First some sparkling Haydn from Leon McCawley…this makes for an excellent opening. McCawley is a persuasive advocate for, as the booklet notes say, Haydn’s ‘airy charm’, […]

11:26 am17 April, 2019

LEON PERFORMS AT BBC PROMS 2019

Leon will make his sixth appearance at the BBC Proms on 31st August, performing John Ireland’s Piano Concerto with BBC Concert Orchestra/Bramwell Tovey in a special tribute concert to Sir Henry Wood. The concert will be recorded and broadcast on BBC4 TV on 1st September. Book tickets here!

4:24 pm15 March, 2019

5 STAR REVIEW FOR SCHUBERT

Leon has received a terrific 5 star review in France’s Classica Magazine for his Schubert disc on SOMM: ‘Leon McCawley seduces the listener by a spontaneous performance devoid of any sense of narcissism. Here is an album communicated with such tenderness, naturalness and sincerity’. For the full review and all the latest reviews of Leon’s Schubert disc click here.

 

9:12 pm23 July, 2017

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK on BBC RADIO 3 IN TUNE

Leon’s performance of Ravel’s Oiseaux Tristes on July 19th was Suzy Klein’s Highlight of the Week on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. He was interviewed on the programme in advance of his upcoming UK summer festival performances at Ribble Valley International Piano Week, Petworth, Manchester, Belfast and Machynlleth. Click here to listen to the performance.

EXCELLENT REVIEWS FOR ‘NATURAL CONNECTION’

Leon has received some excellent reviews for his latest CD ‘Natural Connection’ on SOMM Recordings:

‘This scintillatingly varied recital combines sensuous virtuosity, compelling charm and musical probity. Highly recommended.’ Gramophone

‘a recital of enormous pictorial charm’ Pianist Magazine

‘The fluidity and freedom of his playing benefits from excellent sound’ Diapason

‘The main element that unites this series of 21 small piano pieces by ten composers is that they are all miniature […]

‘ELEGANCE AND VIRTUOSITY’ IN MEXICO

Leon has returned from a highly successful recital tour in Mexico making his debuts at the En Blanco y Negro Festival in Mexico City, the Festival Internacional de Piano Sala Beethoven in Monterrey and Festival Internacional de Piano in Torreón. Monterrey’s El Norte praised the ‘elegance and virtuosity’ of his pianism together with his ‘deeply emotional interpretation’ drawing ‘bravos from the public’. ‘The audience gave him a […]

BACK IN THE RECORDING STUDIO

Leon was recently back in the studio at Menuhin Hall recording a compilation disc for SOMM Recordings of piano music inspired by the natural world including works by composers such as Bartók, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Tchaikovsky. The disc is due to be released in January 2024 so watch this space!

‘A PIANIST WHO FINDS THE HUMANITY IN THE MUSIC AND EMBODIES IT’

Leon performed recently at the Fanny Davies International Piano Series at St James Guernsey and received a fine review in the Guernsey Press:

‘Until I heard Leon McCawley play, I’d never have considered so dry a virtue as ‘respect’ to feature in my reasons for my being so utterly captivated by a musician’s performance. But mulling it over with fellow audience members, it became clear that this was […]

‘MAGNIFICENTLY JUDGED PERFORMANCE’ IN SINGAPORE

Leon has received a very impressive review from the The Straits Times for his recent solo recital performance for Singapore International Piano Festival at Victoria Concert Hall on June 12th:
“British pianist Leon McCawley’s recital returned to the classical world of Vienna, represented by Haydn’s masterly Variations in F minor and Mozart’s rarely heard Sonata in F major (K533/494), brought out with gravitas that was both touching and moving. […]

NEW RELEASE!

Leon’s fourth volume of Haydn Piano Sonatas has recently been released on SOMM Recordings and has already been lauded as “one of McCawley’s finest discs to date” by International Piano Magazine. See the whole review HERE.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT WIGMORE HALL FOR 21/22 SEASON

Leon will be one of Wigmore Hall’s Artists in Residence during the 2021/22 season. He begins his series of four concerts performing late works by Haydn, Mozart and Schubert on 30th September and further recitals will take place on 1st December 2021, 9th March 2022 and 29th June 2022.

 

LIVESTREAM RECITAL ON MARCH 19TH AT WIGMORE HALL

Leon is so pleased to be giving another livestream recital at Wigmore Hall on March 19th, performing works by Schubert, Grieg and Schumann. This will be available to watch on all of Wigmore Hall’s social media platforms for 90 days. Click HERE to watch the full performance.

NEW CD RELEASE!

Leon is very happy to announce the new CD release of Haydn Sonatas Volume 3 on SOMM Recordings, now available online HERE. This is Leon’s ninth disc on the enterprising SOMM label and continues his exploration of Haydn’s rich and varied sonatas following on from highly acclaimed Volumes 1 and 2. Look out for Volume 4 next year!

‘PURE POETRY’: EXCELLENT REVIEW OF WIGMORE HALL RECITAL

Leon has received an excellent review in Seen and Heard International of his solo recital and livestream at Wigmore Hall on 10th October: “He displayed enormous sensitivity and tenderness while also breathing life into the more dramatic elements of the work [Schubert Sonata D664] and the strong dynamic contrasts. McCawley’s playing [in Janáčeks’ On an Overgrown Path] was nuanced and insightful, crystallising the very […]

LEON McCAWLEY’s YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Leon’s YouTube channel has expanded considerably during the lockdown and you can now find over 60 videos of his live concert performances there for easy viewing. Please take a look and subscribe to the channel HERE. Let the music play!

‘SPELLBINDING’ BEETHOVEN WITH ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Leon’s recent performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Domingo Hindoyan has received a wonderful review in the Cambridge Independent:

“McCawley gave a spellbinding performance of this concerto…[he] was superlative in the first movement’s lengthy cadenza (one of three Beethoven wrote for the concerto), and in the expansive and serene Largo where, towards the end, […]

LEON PERFORMS AT BBC PROMS 2019

Leon will make his sixth appearance at the BBC Proms on 31st August, performing John Ireland’s Piano Concerto with BBC Concert Orchestra/Bramwell Tovey in a special tribute concert to Sir Henry Wood. The concert will be recorded and broadcast on BBC4 TV on 1st September. Book tickets here!

5 STAR REVIEW FOR SCHUBERT

Leon has received a terrific 5 star review in France’s Classica Magazine for his Schubert disc on SOMM: ‘Leon McCawley seduces the listener by a spontaneous performance devoid of any sense of narcissism. Here is an album communicated with such tenderness, naturalness and sincerity’. For the full review and all the latest reviews of Leon’s Schubert disc click here.

 

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK on BBC RADIO 3 IN TUNE

Leon’s performance of Ravel’s Oiseaux Tristes on July 19th was Suzy Klein’s Highlight of the Week on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. He was interviewed on the programme in advance of his upcoming UK summer festival performances at Ribble Valley International Piano Week, Petworth, Manchester, Belfast and Machynlleth. Click here to listen to the performance.