Adrian Oldland

Johannes Brahms (1883-1897)

Three Intermezzi, Op. 117 (Brahms)

i No. 1 in E♭ major, Andante moderato, ii No. 2 in B♭ minor, Andante non troppo e con molta espressione, iii No. 3. in C♯ minor, Andante con moto

The Three Intermezzi for piano, Op. 117, are a set of solo piano pieces composed by Johannes Brahms in 1892. They show Brahms’ interest in lullaby; in particular, Brahms told a friend that they were “three lullabies of my grief”.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Three Fantasiestücke, Op. 111 (Schumann)

i Sehr rasch, mit leidenschaftlichem Vortrag, ii Ziemlich langsam, iii Kräftig und sehr markirt

The title was inspired by the collection of letters and writings about music published in 1814–1815, Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier by E. T. A. Hoffmann, one of Schumann’s favourite authors. The composer greatly appreciated the 17th-century engraver’s sense of fantasy.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Drei Romanzen, Op.28 (Schumann)

i Sehr markiert, ii Einfach, iii Sehr markiert

Robert Schumann completed work on his Drei Romanzen Op.28 in December 1839, and presented them to his beloved Clara for Christmas that year, although sketches date back possibly as far as 1838.

Performers

Adrian Oldland - Piano

Adrian began his musical studies at the age of seven when he joined his local church choir. His love for the piano began shortly after joining, where he received his first piano lessons. Adrian’s talent was immediately spotted and remarkable progress led to early successes in competitions and music festivals. His love in particular for music of the Romantic Period, brought Adrian his first victory where he was awarded first place at the Chelmsford Competitive Festival of Music for the ‘Roots trophy’ (2007) playing works by Chopin.

In 2008, Adrian was successful in gaining a place to study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, where he completed his BMus (Hons) and Master’s (MMus) degrees studying under Alexander Ardakov. During his studies, Adrian was active in performing in concerts, master classes and competitions. Whilst only in his second year, Adrian was winner of the much sought after Alfred Kitchin Piano Competition (2010), the youngest ever winner, playing works by Schumann.

Since completing his studies, Adrian has embarked on an international career, performing in numerous countries such as Russia, Germany, Austria, Madeira and Italy.
Amongst the many awards achieved by him, the following stand out:

• 2nd prize, “XXI Century Art” Competition, Madeira. (2013)
• 3rd prize, “XXI Century Art” Competition, Austria. (2013)
• 4th prize in the 23rd Dmitri Kabalevsky International Piano Competition, Russia. (2012)

Adrian has participated in many master classes with distinguished pianists such as Peter Donohoe, Melvyn Tan and William Howard, and currently enjoys a busy career, performing regularly across the UK and throughout Europe. His repertoire stretches from Bach to the Twentieth Century with a particular interest in the life and works of Robert Schumann.

Adrian is looking forward to an exciting year ahead as he embarks on ‘The Schumann Project’. A lifetime ambition to record the complete solo piano works of Robert Schumann with the first recording due for release later this year.