Camden Reeves: Blue Sounds Tom Hicks

• Camden Reeves: Tangle-Beat Blues:
• 1 Reeves: Tangle-Beat Blues 12:44
• Blue Sounds for Piano:
• 2 Reeves: Blue Sounds for Piano 11:08
• 9 Preludes:
• 3 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 1, Allegro molto 01:34
• 4 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 2, Grave 01:05
• 5 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 3, Adagio molto rubato 01:55
• 6 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 4, Allegro scherzando 02:35
• 7 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 5, Andante con moto 01:52
• 8 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 6, Prestissimo 02:34
• 9 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 7, Mesto 01:08
• 10 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 8, Allegro ritmico 04:33
• 11 Reeves: 9 Preludes: No. 9, Tempo di ciaccona 01:39
• Total Runtime 42:47

Info zu Camden Reeves: Blue Sounds

Blue Sounds ist eine Reihe von Meditationen über eine Farbe - von ihrer Abstraktheit als elektromagnetische Welle bis hin zum Blues als Skala, Genre und harmonische Struktur. Alle drei Werke wurden für Tom Hicks geschrieben und markieren einen Zuwachs an Geläufigkeit und eine experimentelle Herangehensweise an die Klangfülle des Klaviers. Camden Reeves hat für verschiedene Instrumentengruppen geschrieben, aber das Klavier ist seit seinem fünften Lebensjahr ein wichtiger Teil seines Lebens. Zu seinen zahlreichen AktivitÃ?ten gehört, dass er im Alter von 22 Jahren zum Composition Fellow des Hallé-Orchesters ernannt wurde und derzeit Leiter der Musikabteilung und Senior Lecturer fÃ?r Komposition an der University of Manchester ist. Der auf Guernsey geborene Pianist Tom Hicks wird als ein KÃ?nstler mit „prachtvollem Pianismus“ gepriesen, der „den Zuhörer an einen anderen Ort und in eine andere Zeit versetzt“. Hicks ist Goldmedaillengewinner zahlreicher nationaler und internationaler Wettbewerbe und erhielt Abschlüsse und Auszeichnungen von der University of Manchester, dem Royal Northern College of Music, der Yale University und der Northwestern University, an der er heute lehrt. Seine erste CD mit John Ireland's Sarnia, 'Tom Hicks: Ireland and Tchaikovsky" wurde von Colin Clarke in International Piano als "brillant evokativ" und von Scott Noriega in Fanfare als "herrlich kreativ" beschrieben. Dieses neue Album folgt auf sein im März 2022 erschienenes Album, das die Klaviersonaten von Liszt und Ireland sowie Werke von Clarke, Coleridge-Taylor und Stanford zum Thema hat.

Tom Hicks, Klavier

Tom Hicks
a pianist originally from Guernsey, has been recognised for his distinguished artistry and technical command. Described as possessing “magnificent pianism” and an “engaging personality,” his performances have been noted for their “brilliantly evocative” interpretations (International Piano) and “gorgeously creative playing” (Fanfare). A Yamaha Artist, Hicks maintains an extensive and varied repertoire, performing as recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician in major venues across Europe and the United States. These include appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall, Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and numerous other respected concert halls.

Hicks has performed as concerto soloist on over 60 occasions, which most notably includes several cycles of Rachmaninoff’s complete works for solo piano and orchestra and several performances of the two Brahms concerti. He has earned acclaim in these and other performances of works by composers including Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann for “depth and maturity” as well as “the technique and temperament to bring off the bravura passages with aplomb”.

His discography features a similarly wide-ranging repertoire. In 2019, Hicks released a recording featuring works by John Ireland and Tchaikovsky, supported by the John Ireland Charitable Trust. This recording received enthusiastic reviews in publications such as International Piano, Fanfare, Piano Journal, and Classical Music Daily. In 2022, he issued two further albums. The first, Liszt and Ireland Piano Sonatas (Divine Art), presents the major sonatas of these composers alongside works by Charles Stanford, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Rebecca Clarke. This recording was noted for its “consistent excellence” and its “commanding performance, balancing the dramatic with the intimate” (Musical Opinion, MusicWeb International). It was included in the American Record Guide Best of 2022 Critics’ Choice. The second, Blue Sounds (Métier), follows Hicks’ premieres of works by Camden Reeves, including Tangle-Beat Blues (2014), Nine Preludes (2016), and Blue Sounds (2019). His interpretation on this recording was commended for its “fluidity, authority, and musicality” (Textura). Hicks also appears on Augusta Read Thomas’ Grammy-nominated recording released by Nimbus Records.

His 2025 Divine Art release, Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes, has been hailed for its fresh, authentic interpretations that honor Chopin’s creative process. Jerry Dubins praises the tone he “draws from his piano...the sensitivity of his phrasing, and the subtleties of his voice-leading” while James Harrington writes that he “cannot imagine any other performances of these masterpieces that capture their essence any better than Hicks” (Fanfare).

In addition to his solo work, Hicks is an experienced chamber musician and accompanist. He has collaborated with ensembles including the Coull Quartet in performances of the piano quintets of Schumann, Brahms, and Dvořák, and performed Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for two pianos with Eylam Keshet. His chamber music training includes coaching from Boris Berman, Hung-Kuan Chen, Leonard Elschenbroich, Mark Steinberg, and Ralph Kirshbaum.

Hicks received his early musical training with Mervyn Grand in Guernsey before studying with Murray McLachlan at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, with whom he continued at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. During this period, he was awarded the Royal Northern College of Music Gold Medal, the Peter Frankl Piano Prize, the Keith Elcombe Prize for Best Overall Performance, three Proctor-Gregg Performance Prizes, and the University of Manchester Faculty of Humanities Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Hicks subsequently completed graduate studies in the United States, studying with Boris Berman at the Yale School of Music and with James Giles at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where he earned a Doctorate in Musical Arts in 2021. His studies were supported by awards including a Charles R. Miller Scholarship and Frances G. Wickes Fellowship at Yale, and an Eckstein Scholarship and Fellowship at Northwestern. He has been successful in various competitions, receiving gold medals at the Wales International Piano Competition, the EPTA UK Piano Competition, and the Croydon Concerto Competition.

In 2019, Hicks founded the Fanny Davies International Piano Series in Guernsey, where he serves as Artistic Director. The series has brought internationally renowned artists, such as Joanna MacGregor, Leon McCawley, Noriko Ogawa, and Alexander Panfilov, to Guernsey for concerts and masterclasses.

As an educator, Hicks has taught piano at Yale University, Northwestern University, and Whitman College. He currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Piano, Director of the Piano Area, and Artistic Director of the International Piano Series at the College of Charleston.

Booklet für Camden Reeves: Blue Sounds