A landmark world premiere crowns this recital from Charles Owen, featuring Gavin Bryars’ first major work for solo piano alongside visionary masterpieces by Schumann, de Falla and Albéniz.

A significant moment in British music, this performance features the World Premiere of a major new work for solo piano by Gavin Bryars, co-commissioned by Kings Place and partners. Performed by Charles Owen, it crowns a programme of visionary and deeply personal piano masterpieces.

As Co-Artistic Director of London Piano Festival, Charles Owen has long championed both the rich history of piano music and the creation of new work for the instrument. This special recital places those two strands side by side, culminating in the world premiere of a landmark new composition by Gavin Bryars: the composer’s first major work for solo piano.

Co-commissioned by Kings Place, with generous support from the Contessa Fund Commissioning Circle, alongside Penny Wright and Cheltenham Music Festival, the work was written especially for Charles Owen and receives its first performance at Kings Place. The premiere marks a significant moment in Bryars’ distinguished career, bringing one of Britain’s most distinctive musical voices to the solo piano.

The new commission is framed by powerful works that showcase the piano’s expressive range and cultural breadth: Schumann’s Sonata in G minor, de Falla’s Fantasia Baetica and a selection from Albéniz’s Iberia. Together, they offer a rare opportunity to experience the continuing evolution of the piano tradition.

About Charles Owen

Charles Owen enjoys an extensive international career, performing a wide-ranging repertoire to outstanding critical acclaim. In the UK he appears regularly at major venues including Bridgewater Hall, The Sage Gateshead and Kings Place, while internationally he has performed at leading halls such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Brahms-Saal in Vienna’s Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Melbourne Recital Centre.

A committed chamber musician, Charles collaborates with many distinguished artists, including Alina Ibragimova, Johan Dalene, Steven Isserlis and Augustin Hadelich, and has partnered leading ensembles such as the Carducci, Heath, Sacconi and Takács string quartets. He is also a frequent guest at major festivals including Aldeburgh, Bath, Cheltenham, Three Choirs and Ryedale, as well as appearing internationally at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and the Verbier Festival.

As a concerto soloist, he has worked with orchestras including the Philharmonia, Hallé, Aurora and London Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Ryan Wigglesworth, Nicholas Collon and Martyn Brabbins. His acclaimed discography spans both solo and chamber repertoire, from Bach and Brahms to Janáček, Poulenc and Schumann, alongside recordings with Katya Apekisheva and Augustin Hadelich.

Charles Owen is Co-Artistic Director of the London Piano Festival, which he founded with Katya Apekisheva in 2016. A dedicated educator, he is Professor of Piano at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and a Steinway & Sons UK Ambassador. He also supports young musicians through his work with Help Musicians.

About Gavin Bryars

One of the most important British post-minimalist composers, Gavin Bryars mixes classical, jazz, and modern influences in his intellectually engaging, yet emotionally moving, music. He is best known for his seminal works The Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, which achieved cult status on Brian Eno’s Obscure Records. He has since composed widely for dance, working with choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and Carolyn Carson, written several operas and created an extensive body of vocal compositions, working in particular with early music performers on vocal laude and madrigals.