The pianist Alasdair Beatson is highly regarded as a distinctive and vibrant musician, who has performed alongside artists including Adrian Brendel, Philippe Graffin, Anthony Marwood, Alexander Melnikov, Pieter Wispelwey, the Nash Ensemble and the Doric String Quartet. A regular at the Wigmore Hall, he has also performed as a soloist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and Scottish Ensemble. As one of the most established chamber pianists of his generation, he works with some of today’s finest musicians, performing at festivals such as Aldeburgh, Bath Mozartfest, Music at Plush, Resonances (Belgium), Ernen (Switzerland), Delft, Peasmarsh and Oxford Chamber Music. A regular participant at the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, he was invited to join their touring groups in 2007 and 2011. He is artistic director of the chamber music festival Musique à Marsac. Alasdair Beatson enjoys a regular association with the Scottish Ensemble. In addition to taking part in numerous chamber music projects, he returned in the autumn of 2014 for a third project as soloist, touring concertos of Mozart and Haydn throughout Scotland and at Wigmore Hall. Alasdair Beatson’s approach to programming has been described as ‘canny and uncompromising’ (Classical Source). Often attracted to less familiar repertoire, he explores uncommon works such as Debussy’s own arrangement for solo piano of his ballet Jeux, Fauré’s rarely performed Fantaisie for piano and orchestra, Hindemith’s Four Temperaments and piano trio arrangements of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht and Janáček’s Kreutzer Sonata. Keen to collaborate directly with living composers, he has worked closely with George Benjamin, Harrison Birtwistle, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Heinz Holliger. www.alasdairbeatson.com
