Howard Shelley
A fixture of the Hyperion label's Romantic Piano Concerto series, pianist Howard Shelley has also specialized in the music of Rachmaninov and in British music of the 20th century. He often conducts from the keyboard.
Shelley was born on March 3, 1950, in London. His early skills were prodigious; he made his debut at the age of ten on BBC television and graduated from the Royal College of Music in London at 21. In 1972, he made his debut at the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, and he has been a frequent presence both there and on BBC broadcast outlets. Shelley's focus on Rachmaninov was most pronounced in the 1980s. He began a complete series of recordings of that composer's solo piano works on the Hyperion label in 1982, and the following year, he performed them all in a marathon over several days at Wigmore Hall in London. Shelley recorded Rachmaninov's four piano concertos for Chandos in 1989 & 1990. By that time, he had already begun conducting, both from the keyboard and, in non-keyboard works, from the podium. He was associate conductor and then principal guest conductor of the London Mozart Players in the early '90s. He also made guest appearances with top British orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. Later, Shelley performed a complete cycle of Beethoven's concertos with the BBC Philharmonic.
Shelley has recorded prolifically for Hyperion and Chandos, often issuing several albums in the course of a single year. He has recorded many works by post-Classical composers such as Johann Baptist Cramer and Muzio Clementi. That specialization grew into a major series of recordings for Hyperion under the auspices of its series "The Romantic Piano Concerto," which aimed at a large-scale excavation of forgotten 19th century works. On these recordings, Shelley often conducted the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from the keyboard. By 2022, the series had reached its 81st volume, with Shelley performing and conducting works by composer Alois (Aloys) Schmitt. A second Hyperion series, "The Classical Piano Concerto," launched in 2014 with Shelley again as pianist/conductor; by 2021, there were eight volumes, including one of works by Georg Benda that appeared that year. Shelley also embarked on a complete cycle of Mendelssohn's solo piano music, and his work appeared on a recording of Chopin's piano-and-orchestra music issued by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw.
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009, Shelley is married to pianist Hilary Macnamara, with whom he has performed in duo piano music. The couple has a son, Alexander Shelley, who is a conductor, and Howard Shelley has performed under his baton.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Tellefsen & Kalkbrenner: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 86)
Howard Shelley, Nürnberger Symphoniker
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jan 12, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gounod: Complete Works for Pedal Piano & Orchestra (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 62)
Roberto Prosseda, Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana, Howard Shelley
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Nov 3, 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Bryden Thomson, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Howard Shelley
Concertos - Released by Chandos on Jun 1, 1990
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hummel: Mandolin Concerto
Howard Shelley, London Mozart Players, Alison Stephens, Urban Agnas
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on Jun 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto & Works by Hiller, Herz & Kalkbrenner (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 78)
Howard Shelley, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 29, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elmas: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 82)
Howard Shelley, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jan 8, 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Spohr: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 9
Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana, Howard Shelley
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Feb 24, 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Bryden Thomson, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Howard Shelley
Concertos - Released by Chandos on Jun 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stanford: A Song of Agincourt & Other Works
Ulster Orchestra, Howard Shelley
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Aug 2, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hummel: Piano Concertos
Howard Shelley, London Mozart Players
Concertos - Released by Chandos on Feb 1, 2001
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alice Mary Smith: Symphonies
Howard Shelley, London Mozart Players, Angela Malsbury
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Feb 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reinecke: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3
Howard Shelley, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Feb 1, 2001
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4
Howard Shelley, Bryden Thomson, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Concertos - Released by Chandos on Jun 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music 2
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jun 29, 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Godard: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 63)
Howard Shelley, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jun 29, 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music 6
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jan 7, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music 5
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Apr 30, 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Scott: Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 4 & Early One Morning
Martyn Brabbins, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Howard Shelley
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Apr 1, 2006
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dupont & Benoit: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 80)
Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Howard Shelley
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jan 31, 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music 4
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Dec 31, 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hummel: Ballet Suites & Twelve Waltzes and Coda
London Mozart Players, Howard Shelley
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Apr 1, 2007
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo