Biographies

FULL BIOGRAPHY

Valid until July 2019. This may not be adapted without agreement.

Roderick Elms studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London which has awarded him an Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of his contribution to the music profession. Since leaving the RAM in the mid-seventies, he has broadcast regularly for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night. He has made many recordings with the BBC Concert Orchestra including music by Charles Williams (notably The Dream of Olwen) and film music for piano and orchestra by Spolianski. For more than twenty-five years he has enjoyed a close relationship with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and their recordings include Warsaw Concerto (a firm favourite with Classic FM), Rozsa’s Spellbound Concerto, Bath’s Cornish Rhapsody and da Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Other recordings include Frank Martin’s Ballade for Piano and Orchestra with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Mozart with the London Symphony Orchestra.  For many years Roderick Elms was the London pianist to the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich as well as organist to the London Symphony Orchestra, with which he recorded an extensive list of titles for EMI and Chandos. This included all the major oratorios of Elgar and the award-winning recording of Britten’s War Requiem conducted by Richard Hickox on which he accompanied the choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral directed by the late John Scott. As an organist he has also recorded The Gentle Art of Percy Whitlock, featuring music by Percy Whitlock played on the organs of Brentwood Cathedral and Rugby School Chapel. He has also contributed to many television and film soundtracks such as Poirot, Aliens, Dangerous Liaisons and the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy.   Roderick Elms’ compositions are performed widely at home and abroad, and feature on two recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell — A Little Fall-ish! which includes his popular Concertino for Celeste, and Festive Frolic — a selection of choral and orchestral music for Christmas, together with the tenor Mark Wilde and organist, Stuart Nicholson. Moody Moves, an album of his chamber music, was released in 2012 to great acclaim. This CD includes his sextet for piano and winds (with the Aurora Ensemble), Two Anglo Fandangos for guitar and organ (with Victoria Green, guitar and Stuart Nicholson, organ) as well as Twelve Astrological Preludes for piano. More recently, the Hallé released a recording his Christmas piece for organ and orchestra, Noel! conducted by Stephen Bell with the composer as soloist. A new Christmas CD, A Windy Christmas, was released on the Herald label for Christmas 2019, which contains festive instrumental music for wind and new choral arrangements. His music is published by Camden Music, London.

 Roderick Elms is married to the pianist Joanna Smith for whom he wrote Paper Dances — a concert piece for piano duet and orchestra which was recorded and broadcast by the BBC in September 2008.

 For more information, please visit:

www.masterkeyboards.co.uk

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

valid until July 2019. This may not be adapted without agreement.

Roderick Elms studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He appears in concerts and recordings with most of Britain’s major orchestras as both a principal keyboard player and soloist. He has broadcast regularly for the BBC for more than forty years and has made many solo recordings with the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Symphony and BBC Concert orchestras. His recording of Warsaw Concerto with the RPO remains a Classic FM favourite. For several years he was London pianist to the eminent cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and organist to the London Symphony Orchestra.

As an organist, he has recorded an extensive list for EMI and Chandos including all the major oratorios of Elgar and the award-winning recording of Britten’s War Requiem with the LSO. A recording of organ music by Percy Whitlock was released by Herald in 2010. Television and film scores on which he has performed include Poirot, Aliens, Dangerous Liaisons and the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Roderick Elms’ compositions are widely performed both in this country and North America and are published by Camden Music, London. In 2006 Dutton-Epoch released an album of his instrumental music (A Little Fall-ish!) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and an album of his Christmas music (Festive Frolic) was released on the Naxos label in 2007 performed by the RPO and the Joyful Company of Singers.

Roderick Elms is married to the pianist Joanna Smith, for whom he wrote Paper Dances – a concert piece for piano duet and orchestra which was recorded and broadcast by the BBC in September 2008. A CD of his chamber music (Moody Moves) was released by Herald in 2012 and a new Christmas CD (A Windy Christmas) was released for Christmas 2019.

For more information, please visit:

www.masterkeyboards.co.uk