Bantock Rediscovered Maria Marchant

• Granville Bantock (1868-1946):
• 1 Chanson de Mai 02:17
• Memories of Sapphire:
• 2 I. Largamente espressivo 03:59
• 3 II. Lento cantabile 03:18
• 4 III. Allegretto delicato 01:15
• Cloisters at Midnight:
• 5 Cloisters at Midnight 04:39
• Barcarolle:
• 6 Barcarolle 03:49
• Reverie
• 7 Reverie 02:08
• Parade March
• 8 Parade March 02:51
• 2 Scottish Pieces:
• 9 No. 1, The Hills of Glenorchy (Quickstep) 03:41
• 10 No. 2, The Bobers of Brechin (Reel) 03:48
• Saul:
• 11 Saul 12:24
• 12 Piano Pieces:
• 12 No. 1, Rhapsode 02:41
• 13 No. 2, Meditation 04:12
• 14 No. 3, Phantasy 01:43
• 15 No. 4, Scherzo 01:47
• 16 No. 5, Nocturne 02:57
• 17 No. 6, Legend 01:08
• 18 No. 7, Preghiera 02:19
• 19 No. 8, Mazurka 03:02
• 20 No. 9, Intermezzo 02:12
• 21 No. 10, Serenade 02:13
• 22 No. 11, Caprice 02:01
• 23 No. 12, Romance 03:12
• Total Runtime 01:13:36

Info for Bantock Rediscovered

Somm Recordings is proud to announce a landmark recording for lovers of British music featuring 23 first recordings of piano pieces by Sir Granville Bantock, one of the most influential British composers of his age. Performed by Maria Marchant, 'Bantock Rediscovered' is being issued to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Bantock's birth in 1868. Composed between 1894 and 1938, these immensely varied, beautifully crafted works never before heard on disc illustrate fascinating aspects of Bantock's artistry and music. The carefully chosen, exquisitely played programme reveals the breadth, delicacy and deliberateness of what Robert Matthew-Walker describes in his booklet notes as Bantocks 'always clever structuring and drily eloquent style'. Among the gems to be discovered here are Memories of Sapphire, three beautiful lyrical tone poems recalling a visit to North Carolina and dedicated to the composer's mother; the richly impressionistic Barcarolle showing Bantock's piano writing at its finest; the late, lively Parade March and the striking piano transcription of the symphonic overture Saul, with its early hints of the orientalism that would later prove so significant to Bantock's music. Demonstrating Bantock's deft ability to borrow from traditional music, the Two Scottish Pieces offer up a vivacious quickstep and reel.

Maria Marchant, piano

Maria Marchant
British pianist Maria Marchant is active as recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician and gave her Wigmore Hall and Southbank debuts to critical acclaim. She has performed in many festivals including the Burford Festival, Cambridge Summer Music Festival, Cheltenham International Music Festival, ‘John Ireland in Chelsea’ Festival, King’s Lynn Festival, Proms Plus and Stratford-upon-Avon Festival. Maria has also performed for numerous music societies and at many leading venues in the UK and elsewhere. A passionate advocate of British music, Maria performs frequently for the John Ireland Trust and regularly features works by Bliss, Britten, Holst, Ireland and Roderick Williams in her concerts. Maria is delighted to be pianist-in-residence at the Shipley Arts Festival and many of her live performances have been broadcast on Radio 3, most recently her performances of Britten, Ireland and Roderick Williams’ piano works in the Radio 3 In Tune studio with Sean Rafferty.

Chamber music highlights include playing as a member of the Stradivarius Piano Trio and working with LPO co-principal clarinettist, Thomas Watmough, at the Shipley Arts Festival. She frequently performs contemporary music and gave the world premiere of ‘Goodwood by the Sea’ – a new solo piano work by Roderick Williams written for her and commissioned by the Shipley Arts Festival.

Her many competition successes include First Prize and Gold Medal in the International Hindemith Competition whilst studying for the MMus in Advanced Piano Performance at the Royal College of Music supported by the BBC Performing Arts Fund. She was also awarded the RCM Hilda Anderson Deane Scholarship and was selected as one of RCM’s ‘Rising Stars’ in addition to being a Concordia Foundation, Park Lane Group and Tillett Trust young artist. Maria gained First Class Honours for the BMus and the Silver Medal for Piano Performance at Trinity Laban and has studied with many professors including Alexander Ardakov, Philip Colman, Niel Immelman and Yonty Solomon.

Maria believes in the significant role of music in health care and is honoured to be resident pianist at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as an ambassador for the Concordia Foundation.

Booklet for Bantock Rediscovered