HAROLD BROWN
American pianist Harold Brown has been heard throughout the United States, in Europe, Australia and South America, as well as on television and radio, in recital, in chamber music, and as a soloist with symphony orchestras. Mr. Brown has participated in numerous music festivals and has often appeared in master classes and lecture recitals. He has an extensive repertoire ranging from Bach to Messiaen. His performances of Ravel’s complete piano works have garnered high critical acclaim.
Mr. Brown recently released a CD featuring the Chopin Preludes and works from the French repertoire. During the past seasons he has been heard on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and in televised performances of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto during an extensive tour throughout Brazil and Chile. Mr. Brown recently gave the premiere performance of American composer Donald Waxman’s Serenade and Fantasy with Saul Bitran, first violinist of the twice Grammy-nominated Cuarteto Latinoamericano. In addition to solo and concerto appearances, recent performances have included collaboration with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Constantine Orbelian.
Mr. Brown’s formal studies were at George Mason University and at the Juilliard School. His teachers include Nina Sveltlanova, Adele Marcus, and Josef Raieff. His keen interest in style and performance traditions has led him to a broad range of study and research in various musical centers throughout the world. Of special importance were studies devoted to Baroque and early Classical keyboard music in Germany with Edith Picht-Axenfeld and in Oxford, England with Rosalyn Tureck. Mr. Brown’s close association with French piano music began as the result of his extensive work in Paris with Gaby Casadesus and Vlado Perlemuter both of whom were closely associated with Ravel and Fauré. Mr. Perlemuter is the only person to have studied Ravel’s entire oeuvre for piano solo with the composer himself. For performances of Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-]ésus in 2008, the centenary of the composer’s birth, he has worked under the guidance of the great French pianist Yvonne Loriod Messiaen, who premiered nearly all of her husband’s piano music. As a student of Alicia de Larrocha, he received the Specialization in Spanish Music diploma from the Academia Granados Marshall in Barcelona.
Currently on the faculty of the Palm Beach Community College, Mr. Brown is also frequently asked to serve as a judge for various competitions. He resides in Boca Raton, Florida, with his wife, the singer Rhonda Brown. They have two children, Harold II and Elizabeth.
Recent Reviews
Master Pianist...
“His even playing showed a mastery over his instrument.. The fluid continuity in his technique was impressive... The powerful Preludes were impressive, even awe-inspiring... Ravel’ s Miroirs was still rippling, Brown’s playing suited to the clouds of dark sound. This power was echoed in a Rachmaninoff encore... This was incredibly confident playing....
Elizabeth Bailes, The Mercury Hobart, Tasmania
“With much charisma and personal warmth Brown showed that he possessed a deep and intimate understanding of the structure and phrasing of each theme he performed... the beautiful finale ‘Gaspard de la Nuit’ of Ravel permitted Brown to demonstrate the gifts of a pianist of high international ranking.
La Discusion, Chillan, Chile
“A splendid presentation. ‘Ravel according to Ravel,’ at the Florida State Music Teacher’s Association State Convention… ... Professional in the highest sense of the word…”
Sue Colvert, President, Florida State Music Teachers’ Association
“The presentation by Harold Brown deserves serene consideration, since he was deeply human above all. The Mozart Fantasy in D Minor and the Sonata K330 were always high in dynamic and agogic shades of color. The second half of the concert, comprising works of extreme necessity for virtuosity, corroborated our first impression. His exactness was total from the first instant, with a fine control of the tempos, permitting total clarity in all passages of greatest interest was his interpretation of the ‘Gaspard de la Nuit” ‘ of Ravel. In this work, which is a test of any interpreter, Harold Brown gave himself totally... We give our gratitude to the pianist for reaching a plane which was not only professional, but spiritual.”
Jose Luis Miranda, Noticias, Asuncion, Paraguay