Roger Woodward

Roger Woodward AC OBE (born 20 December 1942) is an Australian classical concert pianist.

Woodward was born in 1942 in Chatswood, a suburb of Sydney, the youngest of four children to Gladys and Frank Woodward. He studied church music with Kenneth Long in Sydney, and, at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, conducting with Sir Eugene Goossens, piano with Alexander Sverjensky and composition with Raymond Hanson. He won the piano section of the 1964 ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition, beating David Helfgott in the final.

In 2002 he was appointed founding director of the School of Music and Dance at San Francisco State University (SFSU). He is a Professor for Classical Piano at the SFSU's School of Music.

In 2014, Woodward published his autobiography, Beyond Black and White: My Life in Music.

Woodward's recording of J.S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier was Editor's Choice for The Gramophone's February 2010 issue, with German and UK critics describing this recording release as "setting a new standard after Gould and Barenboim".

Woodward has three children, one of whom is adopted.

His daughter Asmira Woodward-Page (born 1973) is a notable concert violinist, whose mother was Prudence Page.

His son Ben, born in 1986, is his and Trish Ludgate's biological child.

Woodward has had numerous awards, including:

• Companion Order of Australia, (AC) (1992)
• Australian National Living Treasure (National Trust) (1997)
• Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Merit to Culture
• Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA) (2019)

Critiques and testimonials

• Roger Woodward par Jean Barraqué: Une belle histoire, en somme. Car cela en est toujours une pour un compositeur…...
• par Iannis Xenakis: Mi homme, mi dragon….. (letter from Iannis Xenakis to Roger Woodward on preparation of Keqrops)
• Pianist Possessed – by Wilfred Mellers, New Statesman London 1971
• Sviatoslav Richter reflections: La soiree americaine me sera aussi l'occasion d'entendre enfin en concert le pianiste Roger Woodward, que je ne connais que par les disques…..
• Feldman on Woodward ....
• Les Carnets de Roger Woodward…...

ABC Classics

• Werder: 3rd Sonata (1969, format: LP;
• Meale: Coruscations live from Sydney Opera House (1973, format: LP;
• Concert for Darwin: live at the Sydney Opera House (1970, Format: LP
  item number: SMX44977-44980, Contents: Chopin Polonaise, Op. 44, No. 5 in F-sharp minor;
• Takemitsu Piano Works: (1991) format:CD Item number: ABC446 739-2
  contents:Rain Tree Sketch, Les Yeux Clos, For Away, Litany, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona, Crossing (live from Sydney Spring 1990);
• Roger Woodward Plays Prokofiev: (1991) Format: CD, item number: ABC426 806-2
  contents: Sarcasms op.17, Prelude op.12 No.7, Suggestion Diabolique op.4 No.4, Visions Fugitives op.22, Four Etudes op.2, Visions Fugitives op.22, Children's Suite op.65, Pensees op.62, Visions Fugitives op.22, Nocturne op.43 bis No.2, Gavotta op.32 No.3, Paysage op.59 No.2, March from L'amour des trois oranges op.33a
• Skryabin: late piano works (1991–92) Format: CD, item number: ABC446 741-2
  contents: 2 Danses op.73, 5 Preludes op.74, Vers la flamme op.72, Sonata No.10 op.70, 2 Poemes op.71, 2 Poemes op.69, 2 Preludes op.67, 2 Poemes op.63, Poeme-nocturne op.61, Sonata No.6 op.62 and 3 Etudes op.65;
• Skryabin : Piano Concerto Works for Solo Piano (1999), format: CD(2CDs, item number: ABC465 671-2
  contents: 3 Pieces op.2, 2 Nocturnes op.5, 5 Preludes op.16, Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor op.20, 2 Poemes op.32, Waltz in A-flat major op.38, 8 Etudes op.42, 3 Morceaux op.52, 2 Pieces op.57, Feuillet d'Album op.58, 2 Pieces op.59, 2 Danses op.73, Vers la flamme op.72, Sonata No.10 op.70, 2 Poemes op.71, 2 Poemes op.69, 2 Preludes op.67, 2 Poemes op.63, Poeme-nocturne op.61, Sonata No.6 op.62 and 3 Etudes op.65;
• Images of Debussy: (1997) format: CD, item number: ABC446 740-2
  contents: L'Isle Joyeuse, Estampes, D'un cahier d'esquisses, Images I, Hommage a Haydn, Images II, La plus que lente, Page d'album and Children's Corner;
• Debussy : (1995) format: CD, item number: ABC454 512-2
  contents: Suite Bergamasque, Etudes Book I, Images (oubliees) and Etudes Book II
• Debussy Piano Works: (2002 re-release)format: CD(2CDs, item number: ABC472 170-2
  contents: L'Isle Joyeuse, Estampes, D'un cahier d'esquisses, Images I, Hommage a Haydn, Images II, La plus que lente, Page d'album, Children's Corner, Suite Bergamasque, Etudes Book I, Images (oubliees) and Etudes Book II;
• Ann Boyd: (1997) Meditations on a Chinese Character format: CD. item number: ABC462 007-2
  contents: Angklung
• Sitsky : (1999) Piano Concerto – The Twenty-Two Paths of the Tarot (1999. format: CD, item number: ABC456 688-2
  contents: Concert for Piano and Orchestra(1991, revised 1994) The Twenty-Two Paths of the Tarot;

Artworks

• Little Masterpieces : (1996)
• Moving Pictures: (1995) solo piano music from the movies
• Lullaby: (1997)
• Cinema Paradiso: (1996)
• Cinema: (1998) Classics from the Silver Screen
• Roger Woodward Plays Chopin: (1998) live performance Sydney Opera House 1997
• The Essential Album: (1998)
• Rondo Alla Turca

BMG

• Clair de Lune: (1989)

Celestial Harmonies[10]

• Roger Woodward in Concert, recorded live at the Sendesaal, Bremen, Germany
• Jean Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano (Recorded 1972 in London)
• Music of the Russian Avant-Garde 1905–1926
• Sergei Prokofiev: Works for Piano 1908–1938
• Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues Op.87 (1975, the first complete recording in the West; re-released September 2010 on CD by Celestial Harmonies) [1]
• Peter Michael Hamel: Vom Klang des Lebens / Of the sound of life
• Hans Otte: Stundenbuch / Book of Hours
• Fryderyk Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes (2 CD)
• Fryderyk Chopin: Piano Concerto № 2 in F minor, op. 21 / Ludwig van Beethoven : Piano Quartet № 3 C MAJOR WoO 36 – Roger Woodward, piano / Alexander String Quartet
• Claude Debussy : Préludes, Books 1 & 2
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue BWV 903, Partita № 2 BWV 826, Partita № 6 BWV 830 [2]
• Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books I & II BWV 846–893 (5 CDs & 2 pocket scores, complete edition)
• Hamel/Hiller/Otte Edition of Contemporary German Piano Music (4-CD boxed set including pocket scores) – Roger Woodward, piano; Silke Avenhaus, piano
• Fryderyk Chopin – The Complete Nocturnes

Col Legno

• 20 Ans de musique contemporaine a Metz: format: CD(5CDs, item number: AU31 8 30CD
  contents: Feldman Piano Concerto (live with Hans Zender and Saarbruken Rundfunksorchester)
• Feldman Orchestral Works and Chamber Music: item number: WWE 1CD 20506(re-release as AU31 8 30CD)
  contents: Feldman Piano Concerto (live with Hans Zender and Saarbruken Rundfunksorchester)

Decca

• Takemitsu Piano Works: 1974) format: LP, item number: HEAD4
  contents: Corona (London version), For Away, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests

Deutsche Grammophon

• Wien Modern III : (1995) format: CD, item number: 447 115-2
  contents: Xenakis Keqrops (Wien Modern with Claudio Abbado recorded live at Wiener Konzerthaus 1995)

Deutsche Grammophon Australia

• The Colour of Australian Classics, Format: CD(2CDS), item number: 441 969-2
  contents: Xenakis Keqrops (Wien Modern with Claudio Abbado recorded live at Wiener Konzerthaus 1995)

EMI

• Chopin Piano Works:(1970)
• Rachmaninov Preludes: (1970)
• Skryabin Prokofiev Shostakovich: (1970)
• Roger Woodward Plays Chopin: (1972)
• Australian Contemporary Music: (1970)
• The London Music Digest from the Round House : (1972)
• Conyngham: (1982)

Etcetera

• Xenakis (1998) (re-release 1999) (Roger Woodward conducting Alpha Centauri Ensemble live from Sydney Opera House
• Takemitsu Piano Works (1990) (live from Sydney Spring 1990);
• Feldman: (1990) (with Ralph Lane)
• Gehlhaar Diagonal Flying:(1990–91) with Rolf Gehlhaar, recorded live at Sydney Spring International Festival of New Music
• Skryabin Late Piano Works (1991)

Foghorn Classics

• fragments, vol.1: 2005 : Shostakovich String Quartets; Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57, 3-CD set, total playing time 74:58; 74:01; 73:42; Producer and Engineer Judith Sherman, recorded at the American Academy of Arts & Letters, 2005

J&B

• Solo: (1988), favourites by Bach/Beethoven /Chopin/Grieg /Liszt /Mozart /Tchaikovsky /etc, format: CD and LP item number: unknown(CD), JB260(LP);
• Music of the Night: (1990, popular themes from films and musicals, format: CD and LP item number: unknown(CD), JB425(LP);

London (Japan)

• Takemitsu Piano Works: format: CD, item number: POCL-2347(Re-release CD: POCL-3998 and UCCD-3131)
  contents: Corona (London version), For Away, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests;

Polskie Nagrania

• Serocki: (1976),Fantasmagoria(One of the series of the LP 20th International Festival of Contemporary Music Warsaw Autumn, format: LP, item number: SX1444. contents: Serocki Fantasmagoria (1976)

RCA

• Beethoven Sonatas: (1973)
• Beethoven Sonatas: (1976)
• Australian Contemporary Music: (1974)
• Shostakovich Preludes & Fugues: (1976)
• Beethoven/Liszt Eroica Symphony
• Hoddinot 3rd Concerto: (1976)
• Brahms 1st Piano Concerto (with Kurt Masur & Philharmonia Orchestra) (1976)
• Shostakovich Piano Trio and Piano Quintet: (1978) (with Edinburgh String Quartet)

Sipario Dischi

• Nuove Sincronie 92 : format: CD, item number: sin1012, contents: Donatoni Sincronie (with J. Scalfi(vc))

Unicorn

• Barraque Sonate : (re-release) (1978, format: LP, item number: UNS263, contents: Sonate(Barraque)

Warner

• Rustle of Spring : (1992)
• The Music of Frédéric Chopin : (1992)(re-released 1997)
• Over the Hills and Far Away: (1994)
• My Favourite Classics: (1995)

Kurtur (VTR)

• The Tchaikovsky 150th Anniversary Concert From China, (with Tan Lihua and Symphony Orchestra of the Central Philharmonic, Beijing)