William Bracken played the second International Piano Recital sponsored by the Keyboard Trust and the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation in St Alkmunds Church as part of their free Tuesday lunchtime concert series. He performed on Tuesday April 1st 2025.
William Bracken is in high demand as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and teacher. The Wirral-born pianist has won numerous awards including 1st prize at the 2022 Liszt Society International Piano Competition, 1st prize, press prize and audience prize at the 2023 Euregio Piano Award international piano competition and 3rd prize at the 2024 UniSA international piano competition in South Africa. He is currently continuing studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he also holds a position as teaching assistant in the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation.
His programme was...
L. v. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.7, Op.10 No.3.
Robert Schumann: (from Fantasiestucke op. 12):
Warum?
In der nacht
Clara Schumann: Nocturne Op.6, No. 2.
F. Liszt (from Annees de Pelerinage Suisse):
Au lac de Wallenstadt
Vallee d'Obermann
William plays with superb technique and thrilled the audience in St Alkmunds church. He has studied recently under Martin Roscoe, a pianist who kindly played for us at the start of the Shrewsbury International Recital Series on this very piano. Martin played a superb Appassionata on the Kawai baby grand in St Alkmunds, an experience I am not convinced it ever recovered from. Martin is a superb interpreter of Beethoven and William has clearly followed suit. William has a commanding grasp of the stalwarts of the romantic age. His style is not to show off, but to pay respects to the beauty of the composer's inventions.