Martin Roscoe


Martin Roscoe is an English classical pianist. He performs as a concerto soloist, as a recitalist and as a chamber musician.

Early life

Martin Roscoe was born in Halton, Runcorn, Cheshire. He first became serious about music at the age of 7 after being ‘bowled over’ by a performance at The Proms of the Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz on 19 August 1959. He later went on to study at the Royal Manchester College of Music with Gordon Green and Marjorie Clementi. Awards early in his career included the Davas Gold Medal in 1973, the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 1974, the British Liszt Piano Competition in 1976 and he was a prizewinner in the Sydney International Piano Competition in 1981.

Career

Roscoe has developed close links with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Manchester Camerata. He has played as a soloist under many of the world's leading conductors, including Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Libor Pešek, Luciano Berio, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Andrew Litton and Mark Wigglesworth. He gives regular recitals at the Wigmore Hall. Roscoe has appeared in BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts on six occasions and has made over 300 broadcasts with the BBC. He has an international reputation and has played in many countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, South America, Australia, USA and France.
As a student he formed a piano duo with Peter Donohoe and they have performed and made recordings together since. Their recording of music by Gershwin on Carlton Classics was chosen as Editor's Choice in the August 1997 issue of Gramophone. As a chamber musician he has performed with Tasmin Little, Emma Johnson, Steven Isserlis, Michael Collins, Steven Osborne, the Leopold String Trio and the Chilingirian, Vanbrugh, Tale, Schidlof, Carmina, Brodsky, Endellion and Sorrel String Quartets. The details of Roscoe's recordings are shown in the table below.
Before becoming a teacher at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Roscoe had held positions at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. He is the artistic director of the Beverley Chamber Music Festival and the Ribble Valley International Piano Week. He has been granted an honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Hull.

Discography

YearTitleComposerRecord CompanyReferenceOther artistes
1993Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op. 5
Piano Concerto No 2 in B minor, Op. 42		DohnányiHyperionCDA66684BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
1993Rodeo: Four Dance EpisodesCoplandASV PlatinumPLT 8504Michael Collins, clarinet
Vanbrugh Quartet
1994Dolly SuiteFauréHyperionCDA66911/4Kathryn Stott, piano
1994Dance Suite, Op. 28
Piano Concerto, Op. 26
Variations, Op. 36		Bernard StevensMarco Polo8.223480Ireland National Symphony Orchestra
1994Fratres ; Spiegel im SpiegelArvo PärtEMI Classics for Pleasure5758052Tasmin Little, violin
1995Piano Works, Volume 1SzymanowskiNaxos8.553016
1995Quintet for Piano and Strings, Op. 67
Trio for Piano and Strings

Sonata for Viola/Cello and Piano		Amy Beach
Rebecca Clarke
Rebecca Clarke		ASV932Endellion String Quartet
1996Piano Works, Volume 2SzymanowskiNaxos8.553300
1996Piano Works, Volume 3SzymanowskiNaxos8.553867
1997Rhapsody in Blue
Porgy and Bess Fantasia		GershwinCarlton Classics30368 01297Peter Donohoe, piano
1998Piano Concerto No 1 in F major, Op. 10
Piano Concerto No 2 in C major, Op. 24		Ignaz BrüllHyperionCDA67069BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
1998Piano SonatasClementiCRD RecordsCRD 3500
1998Violin Sonata in E minor
Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor		Elgar
Bax		Global Music NetworkGMNC 0113Tasmin Little, violin
1998Works for cello and pianoRachmaninoffBlack BoxBBM1044Moray Welsh, cello
2001Peacock PieVariousHyperionCDA67316Guildhall Strings
2001Piano Concerto in B flat minor, Op. 27
Piano Concerto in B flat major		Robert Fuchs
Friedrich Kiel		HyperionCDA67354BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
2002Concerto for two pianos and orchestraBlissNaxos8.557146Peter Donohoe, piano
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
2002Music for two pianosRachmaninoffNaxos8.557062Peter Donohoe, piano
2002The BerserkingJames MacMillanChandosCHAN 10092BBC Philharmonic
2002Warsaw Concerto from
Dangerous Moonlight		Richard Addinsell
ChandosCHAN 10046BBC Philharmonic
2003Visions de l'AmenMessiaenHyperionCDA67366Steven Osborne, piano
2003Piano transcriptionsBach, transcribed Samuil FeinbergHyperionCDA67468
2003Phantasy, Piano Quartet in F minorBridgeNaxos8.557283Maggini Quartet
2003Piano Works, Volume 4SzymanowskiNaxos8.557168
2004From The Unforgettable Year 1919ShostakovichChandosCHAN 10361BBC Philharmonic
2005Piano Quintet, Op. 57ShostakovichChandosCHAN 10329Sorrel Quartet
2005Ballade No. 1
Ballade
Kreisleriana		Chopin
Robert Keeley
Schumann		DunelmDRD0247
2006Music for two pianosBaxNaxos8.570413Ashley Wass, piano
2006Violin Sonata in D, Op. 12, No 1
Violin Sonata in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2
Violin Sonata in G, Op. 96		BeethovenASV GoldGLD4023Peter Cropper, violin
2011Highland Concerto
Normandy
Concertstück		Somervell
Cowen		Hyperion RecordsCDA67837BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
?SilentiumArvo PärtEMI Classics5624342