Außergewöhnliche Originalität, großartige Einfachheit und Finger aus Stahl, die sich hinter samtweichen Muskeln verbergen. Er ist ein junger Mann wie aus einer anderen Welt – er spielt mit dem Genie derjenigen, die sich selbst zu vergessen wissen und sich ganz natürlich an den richtigen Punkt begeben, um der Musik, diesem Mysterium des Augenblicks, zu begegnen.

LE MONDE, PARIS

Described by Le Monde as ‘possessing the genius one finds in those who know how to forget themselves', since winning First Prize at the Maria Canals Piano Competition in Barcelona, British pianist Viv McLean has performed in all the major venues in the UK as well as throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA. Viv’s concerto work includes appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, Orchestra of the Swan, Orchestra of St John’s, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of such conductors as Daniel Harding, John Wilson, Wayne Marshall, John Lubbock, Christopher Warren-Green, Anthony Inglis, Owain Arwell Hughes, Philip Hesketh, David Charles Abell, Stephen Bell, Carl Davis, Rebecca Miller, Chloe Van Soederstede and Marvin Hamlisch. Recent concerto highlights include Mozart K467 with the ECO at the Royal Festival Hall, Grieg with the LPO at the Barbican, Rachmaninov’s 3rd Concerto with the RPO in Cambridge, Gershwin, Bernstein, de Falla and Ravel with the Hallé at the Bridgewater Hall, The Sage Gateshead and other venues in the North of England, and Beethoven's 5th Concerto with the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall. 

Viv plays regularly with the Adderbury Ensemble and has also performed with other leading chamber groups such as the Ysaye String Quartet, the Sacconi String Quartet, the London Mozart Players Chamber Ensemble, members of the Elias, Allegri, Tippett String Quartets and Leonore Piano Trio, Ensemble 360, the Galliard Wind Ensemble, Onyx Brass, the Bristol Ensemble, the Berkeley Ensemble and the Leopold String Trio. He has collaborated with musicians such as Natalie Clein, Marianne Thorsen, Daniel Hope, Lawrence Power, Adrian Brendel, Mary Bevan, David Le Page, Matthew Sharp, Guy Johnston, Alice Neary, Ruth Rogers, Fenella Humphreys, Jessica Duchen, Alasdair Beatson and many others.

He has performed at numerous festivals including the Cheltenham International Festival, Buxton Festival, Music in the Round Festival and Harrogate International Festival in the UK, the International Beethoven Festival, the Mecklenburg Festival and the Kultur Kreis Festival in Germany, the Festival International de Musique Classique d’Aigues-Mortes, the Melle Festival and Festival de Saintes in France, the Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden in Norway and the Musik vid Kattegatt Festival in Sweden. Since 2014, Viv has been pianist-in-residence at the Glossop Festival.

Viv studierte schon früh bei Ruth Nye und studierte nach dem Besuch der Chetham's School of Music an der Royal Academy of Music bei Hamish Milne und Maria Curcio. Dort erhielt er das Hodgson Fellowship und wurde 2005 zum Associate der Royal Academy ernannt. Sein Debüt in der Wigmore Hall gab er mit dem Gewinn des Wigmore Award der Friends of the Royal Academy. Während seines Studiums an der Akademie gewann er den Klavierwettbewerb der Royal Overseas-League Music Competition und wurde zu den Gewinnern des Young Artists Competition der National Federation of Music Societies gewählt.

Viv made his BBC Radio 3 recital debut through the BBC Radio 3 Young Artists Forum scheme and has also recorded for Classic FM, WDR Radio in Germany, Radio France, ABC Radio in Australia, NRK Radio in Norway and for the Sky Arts television channel. His commercial releases include recordings for such labels as Sony, Chandos, Naxos, Nimbus, Lyrita, RPO Records, ICSM Records, Harmony & Imagination Records and his most recent releases are a Chopin recital and a selection of live recordings for Stone Records. Upcoming albums include the Florence Price Octet with Onyx Brass for Chandos, and the Piano Sonata and Chamber Music of Kenneth V. Jones with the LMP Chamber Players for Lyrita.

Short bio

Described by Le Monde as ‘possessing the genius one finds in those who know how to forget themselves’, since winning First Prize at the Maria Canals International Piano Competition, in Barcelona, the British pianist Viv McLean has performed in all the major venues in the UK, as well as throughout continental Europe, Japan, Australia, and the USA. He has performed concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Hallé, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan, and Northern Chamber Orchestra, among others. He often collaborates with groups such as the Leopold String Trio, Ensemble 360, Onyx Brass, Quatuor Ysaÿe, and Sacconi Quartet, as well as with artists of the calibre of Natalie Clein, Alice Neary, Daniel Hope, Lawrence Power, David Le Page, Adrian Brendel, and Mary Bevan. He has appeared at many festivals, including the international Beethovenfest, in Bonn, Festival des Saintes, in France, Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden, in Norway, and Cheltenham International Festival, in the UK. He made his BBC Radio 3 recital début through the BBC Radio 3 Young Artists’ Forum and has also recorded for Classic FM, WDR Radio, in Germany, Radio France, ABC Radio, in Australia, NRK Radio, in Norway, and the Sky Arts television channel. Collaborating with numerous labels, Viv McLean has amassed a wide-ranging discography.