Ian Hobson

United Kingdom

ian_hobson

Ian Hobson’s international career was launched in 1981 when he won First Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition; he has since established himself as a musician of tremendous versatility with an international reputation as a pianist, conductor and teacher. While Ian Hobson is one of the leading proponents and interpreters of Rachmaninoff, both on the podium and at the keyboard, his performances and discography highlight a prolific artist whose programs consistently demonstrate a repertoire spanning the centuries and demand an extraordinary command of styles and scholarly vision, in addition to great keyboard prowess.

Mr. Hobson’s recent recordings of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s five works for piano and orchestra, played and conducted from the keyboard, arose from his longstanding relationship with the remarkable Sinfonia Varsovia which began in 1995. He has conducted Sinfonia Varsovia at Carnegie Hall with Ewa Podles as soloist in Karol Szymanowski's Three Songs as well as Beethoven's Eroica Symphony and Chopin's Second piano concerto, from the keyboard.

Maestro Hobson is also active as an opera conductor with a wide range of repertoire. In September 1997 he conducted and recorded John Philip Sousa's comic opera El Capitan in a newly restored version with the Sinfonia da Camera and a stellar cast of young singers; the recording was released in January 1998 on the Zephyr label founded by Mr. Hobson. Additional operas conducted by Maestro Hobson include Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro and the American première of George Enescu’s opera Oedipe.

Ian Hobson’s discography is as wide and prolific as his variety of programs and included among more than 50 titles available on the Arabesque, Zephyr, Albany, BMG, EMI, and Hyperion labels.