Graham Johnson
Pianist Graham Johnson has established a reputation as a leading accompanist through his collaborations with the world's foremost vocal artists. Johnson has recorded over 100 albums, winning several awards, and authored several books.
Born on July 10, 1950, in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Johnson attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. There, he met accompanist Gerald Moore, whose influence was instrumental to his career. After graduation, he pursued further studies with Geoffrey Parsons, another respected figure in the world of vocal accompaniment. Fresh out of school, Johnson received a high-profile career boost when tenor Peter Pears selected him as the official accompanist for his first master classes at Pears' and Benjamin Britten's annual Aldeburgh Festival. During periods when Britten -- Pears' longtime accompanist -- was ill, Pears frequently called upon Johnson as a replacement. In 1975, Walter Legge, the impresario and EMI records producer, selected Johnson to accompany his wife, soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. By this time, it was clear that he was on track to become one of the most prominent figures in his field.
In search of creative new ways to explore the art song repertory, Johnson founded The Songmakers' Almanac in 1976. With the approval and guidance of Moore, Johnson formed the Almanac to seek out neglected piano/vocal works and build recitals incorporating several singers. For over a quarter of a century, he planned and accompanied over 150 Almanac recitals. In addition, he regularly presented summer recital cycles for the London South Bank and Wigmore Hall series and was invited by Alte Oper of Frankfurt, Germany, to give a seven-part cycle of music on texts by Goethe. One of Johnson's most frequent partners was his Royal Academy classmate Felicity Lott. He has also partnered with some of the most distinguished singers of the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries, including Victoria de los Angeles, Peter Schreier, Marjana Lipovsek, Felicity Palmer, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Elly Ameling, Tom Krause, Jessye Norman, Margaret Price, Arleen Augér, and Brigitte Fassbaender.
Johnson has recorded for a variety of labels, including Naxos, EMI, and Champs Hill. However, he is best known internationally for his Hyperion recordings of Schubert's complete lieder with such singers as Janet Baker, Philip Langridge, Stephen Varcoe, Thomas Hampson, Lucia Popp, Thomas Allen, Ian Bostridge, and a number of his regular collaborators. His other recordings include the songs of Britten, Gounod, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. In 2019, Johnson was heard on Vol. 8 of Hyperion's complete Brahms cycle, accompanying Harriet Burns. His numerous honors include multiple Gramophone Solo Vocal Awards. He also appears frequently on the BBC.
In addition to performing a traditional accompanist's role, Johnson has written and served as a presenter in programs explaining the songs of Schubert, Poulenc, Liszt, and Shostakovich. He has taken to writing the booklet notes for many of his recordings and has written five books, including the 2014 compendium Franz Schubert: The Complete Songs. He is the senior professor of accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and has given master classes in Finland, New Zealand, Israel, and the U.S. He was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1994. In 2002, Johnson became a Chevalier of France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2010 he was given an honorary membership in the Royal Philharmonic Society.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Schubert - Wigmore Hall Live
Lieder (German) - Released by Wigmore Hall Live on 29 Apr 2016
Gramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
L'heure exquise: A French Songbook
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 3 May 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: The Complete Songs, Vol. 10
Sophie Rennert, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 2 Oct 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Hyperion Song Edition 25 - Die schöne Müllerin
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Mar 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Hyperion Song Edition 1 - Goethe and Schiller Settings
(Dame) Janet Baker, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 25 Dec 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák / Janácek / Martinu: Love Songs
Magdalena Kožená, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anon in Love / Facade Settings / A Song for the Lord (English Song, Vol. 1)
Graham Johnson, Martyn Hill, Felicity Lott, Craig Ogden
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Naxos on 19 Nov 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Hyperion Song Edition 3 - Schubert & His Friends I
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 25 Dec 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: The Complete Songs, Vol. 7
Dorothea Röschmann, Ian Bostridge, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Oct 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sweet Power of Song
Dame Felicity Lott, Ann Murray, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Apr 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Songs (English Song, Vol. 5)
Anthony rolfe Johnson, Louisa Fuller, Graham Johnson, Ivan McCready, Lisa Milne, Duke Quartet
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Songs
Classical - Released by Champs Hill Records on 6 Oct 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Hyperion Song Edition 2 - Water Songs
Stephen Varcoe, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 25 Dec 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Souvenirs de Venise - Songs of Venice
Anthony rolfe Johnson, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Complete Songs, Vol. 1
Christine Schäfer, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Jun 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Recital at La Monnaie / De Munt (Live) - Works by Purcell, Schubert & Britten (Live)
Anthony rolfe Johnson, Graham Johnson
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Cypres on 4 Dec 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Own Country - An English Song Collection
Classical - Released by Champs Hill Records on 6 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann Favourite Songs
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Musical Concepts on 25 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Felicity Lott sings Schubert Favourites
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Musical Concepts on 15 Jun 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Wings Of Song
Dame Felicity Lott, Ann Murray, Graham Johnson
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 28 Feb 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Felicity Lott Sings Schubert
Classical - Released by imp on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo