Belfast-born Michael McHale has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading pianists and has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician.

He has performed and recorded as a soloist with the Minnesota and Hallé Orchestras, the Moscow, Bournemouth, Jacksonville, Fort Smith, BBC and London Symphony Orchestras, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and all five of the major Irish orchestras, and performed at the Tanglewood, BBC Proms and Tokyo Spring Festivals, Barbican and Wigmore Hall, London, Berlin Konzerthaus, Lincoln Center, New York, Symphony Hall, Boston and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

Michael’s début solo album The Irish Piano was released in 2012 by RTÉ lyric fm and selected as ‘CD of the Week’ by the critic Norman Lebrecht. More recent solo releases include Schubert: Four Impromptus on Ergodos, Irish Piano Concertos on RTÉ lyric fm, Miniatures and Modulations on Grand Piano and the Strauss 'Burleske' on Chandos. His discography of over twenty-five albums includes releases on Delos, Nimbus Alliance, Champs Hill, and eight duo recital albums on Chandos with clarinettist Michael Collins. The début album of the McGill/McHale Trio Portraits on Cedille featuring special narrations by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali was released in 2017 and immediately entered the Top 25 US Billboard Classical Chart. Releases in 2020 included a recording of Richard Rodney Bennett's Piano Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor John Wilson for Chandos.

Programme:

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in C minor op.13 “Pathetique” (20’)

John Field: Nocturne No.5 in B flat major (3’)

Fryderyk Chopin: Nocturne in E flat major op.9 no.2 (4’)

Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet Suite op.75 (12’)

iv. The Young Juliet

vi. The Montagues and the Capulets

vii. Father Lorenzo

viii. Mercutio

- interval -

Franz Schubert: Impromptu op.90 no.4 (7’30”)

Three love songs arranged for solo piano:

Augusta Holmès: Evocation d’Amour (4’)

Clara Schumann: Sie Liebten Sich Beide op.13 no.2 (2’)

Liszt/Schumann: Liebeslied S.566 “Widmung” (4’)

Philip Hammond: …this hour of quiet… (4’30”)

Missy Mazzoli: Heartbreaker (5’)

Franz Liszt: Ballade No.2 (14’)