Noel Mewton-Wood plays Liszt Petrarch Sonnet 104

recorded c. 1953

Noel Mewton-Wood (20 November 1922 -- 5 December 1953) was an Australian-born concert pianist who achieved some fame during his short life.

Born in Melbourne, he studied at the Melbourne Conservatorium until the age of fourteen. After further studies at London's Royal Academy of Music, Mewton-Wood spent time with Artur Schnabel in Italy.

In March 1940, he returned to London for his debut performance at Queen's Hall, performing Beethoven's third piano concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham. He later performed in France, Germany, South Africa, Poland, Turkey and Australia.

Mewton-Wood's The Times obituary of 7 December 1953 described his debut performance:

" At once his remarkable control and his musicianship were apparent: the ascending scales in octaves, with which the pianist first enters, thundered out with whirlwind power, but he could summon beautiful cantabile tone for the slow movement and the phrasing of the rondo theme was admirably neat for all the rapidity of the tempo; a true understanding of the relationship in concerto between soloist and orchestra, and of the soloist's part in ensemble, betokened the musician, the potential chamber performer." "

Mewton-Wood was a close friend of Benjamin Britten.[1] In 1952-53, while Britten was occupied in the writing of his opera Gloriana, Mewton-Wood deputised as the accompanist for Britten's partner Peter Pears.[2]

At the age of thirty-one, Mewton-Wood committed suicide[3] by drinking prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide), apparently blaming himself for the death of a friend. The notes written by a friend of Mewton-Wood, John Amis, for the reissue of the Bliss Concerto recording, indicate that Mewton-Wood was gay and was depressed by the recent death of his lover.

Benjamin Britten wrote Canticle III: Still falls the rain for Mewton-Wood's memorial concert.

(from Wikipedia)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Noel
• Mewton-Wood
• plays
• Liszt
• Petrarch
• Sonnet
• 104
• piano
• classical

[paulprocopolis]

A grand and extrovert performance but with some beautiful tonal colours and very sensitive shaping. The performance and the photographs take on real poignancy when one realises that within months of this recording, M-W was to take his own life. Thank goodness that he is well represented on record.

[darnaclien]

astonishing. I heard Bolet in concert once and he could bring things to a standstill like this. doesn't come across in his recordings. there is so much range in Mewton-Wood's playing, it evokes the kind of wizardry that is missing from most Liszt interpretations.

[999gilou]

merveilleuse interprétation par un merveilleux pianiste ...

[AfroPoli]

Excellent!