Roger Woodward
Born on 20 December 1942, the
Australian pianist Roger Woodward trained with Alexander Sverensky, furthering his studies in
London and
Warsaw. To the benefit of the composers he befriended (if not the instruments he worked), his strength as a transcendental champion of the radical
avantgarde -
Boulez, Barraque,
Stockhausen, Xenakis,
Messiaen,
Takemitsu,
Penderecki,
Feldman,
Cage - was developed early. He never abandoned the grand tonal masters, though. His analogue RCA recordings of
Beethoven,
Brahms and
Shostakovich (the 24 Preludes and Fugues) were committed events of their time - despite many finding what he had to say more controversial than comforting. His performances still challenge. In 1984-85, claiming that 'few understand
Chopin's genuine inheritance from
Mozart and
Bach, his real musical worth and originality with large forms,' he presented all Chopin's works in a series of sixteen recitals - at Richter's invitation playing the three sonatas at the
Pushkin Festival in
Moscow. He was appointed an OBE in 1980.
AO
