Stewart Goodyear Plays Tchaikovsky and Grieg On Steinway & Sons’ First-ever Orchestral Release

On his Steinway & Sons debut due out in June, the intrepid Canadian pianist shows off the intelligence and audacity that have led the press to compare him to Pollini and Arrau. Here, on the label’s inaugural orchestral recording, Goodyear brings his unique vision and renowned technique to two of the most powerful virtuosic works in the repertoire, Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for Piano No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, and Grieg’s Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16. Stewart Goodyear will appear at Bargemusic in Brooklyn, NY on June 22 & 29 and July 6 & 27, performing the complete Beethoven sonatas.

Two of the most famous piano concertos ever written, Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor and Grieg’s Concerto for Piano in A minor, shine anew in the nimble hands and imaginative mind of Stewart Goodyear on this debut disc on the Steinway & Sons label. The first orchestral recording ever produced by the label, the recording features Goodyear and the Czech National Symphony, who together unleash an impressive spectrum of color and nuance to recapture the initial shock these pieces elicited before they became iconic.

 Like Maurizio Pollini and Claudio Arrau, to whom Goodyear has frequently been likened, Goodyear has a reputation for getting audiences to jettison their expectations and experience classic repertoire in a new light. Of one of his 11-hour Beethoven sonata marathons in 2012, Musical Toronto wrote that the performance “yielded a depiction of Beethoven’s ideas so vivid that it compels attention.” Gramophone praised his recording of the complete Beethoven sonata cycle as “vital, communicative and intelligently stylish.” On this album, he basks in how each composer broke with convention, from strange harmonic juxtapositions to an unabashed incorporation of folk music.

“Passion can be quite messy,” Goodyear said of his approach to Beethoven. Likewise on this new album, Goodyear is not afraid to transcend the aesthetics of elegance to get to the heart of some of the most passionate music ever written.

In addition to Goodyear’s four concert dates at Bargemusic this summer, upcoming appearances include:

• July 10, 2014: Festival de Lanaudiere, Joliette (Canada), Orchestre Metropolitain (Bartok: Piano Concerto No.2)
• July 22, 2014: Festival de Lanaudiere, Joliette (Canada), Solo Recital at St. Charles Borromeo Cathedral

About Stewart Goodyear
Proclaimed a “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished young pianist as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer.

Mr. Goodyear has performed with major orchestras of the world, including Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Bournemouth Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and NHK Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Goodyear began his training at The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, received his bachelor’s degree from Curtis Institute of Music, and completed his master’s at The Juilliard School. Known as an improviser and composer, he has been commissioned by orchestras and chamber music organizations, and performs his own solo works. In the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Mr. Goodyear performed all 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas in one day at Koerner Hall, McCarter Theatre, and Mondavi Center. His recording of the complete Beethoven sonatas has received critical acclaim and a Juno nomination for Best Classical Solo Recording. In June and July 2014, he will perform the complete sonatas in four three-hour programs at Bargemusic in Brooklyn, NY.

Highlights for the 2014 –15 season include two concerts at Festival de Lanaudière in Joliette, Quebec, recitals in Chicago, Montreal, and Toronto, performances with the Kosei Wind Ensemble in Tokyo, Japan, and a duo-piano collaboration with Emanuel Ax in Toronto at Roy Thompson Hall.

About Steinway & Sons label
The Steinway & Sons music label was founded in 2010 and has produced many phenomenal albums since its inception. Recordings on the Steinway & Sons record label can be purchased through ArkivMusic.com as well as Amazon, iTunes and other fine retailers around the globe. This collaboration under the umbrella of the historic Steinway & Sons is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.

About Steinway & Sons
Since its founding in New York in 1853, Steinway & Sons has been considered the world's premier piano manufacturer. Known for their exceptional craftsmanship, Steinway & Sons pianos are built in one of two company-owned and operated factories: Astoria, New York and Hamburg, Germany. Steinway & Sons pianos are still constructed primarily by hand, using many of the techniques developed over 160 years ago. Today, Steinway & Sons also offers the Boston and Essex piano lines, Listen, a magazine for music and culture lovers, and the Steinway & Sons record label. For more information, visit www.steinway.com.

Press Contact:
Anthony Gilroy
Steinway & Sons
.(JavaScript Must Be Enabled To View This Email Address)
(718) 204–3116