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Graham Johnson

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Graham Johnson is a British pianist, best known as an accompanist of Lieder. He was born on 10 July 1950 in Bulawayo in Rhodesia, the son of a father who played piano and saxophone. In 1967 he went to the Royal Academy of Music, and later he studied with Gerald Moore and Geoffrey Parsons. A recital by Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten in 1972 led him to choose to become a song accompanist.

Music and breakthrough

In 1976 he founded The Songmakers' Almanac, together with singers such as Felicity Lott, Ann Murray, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Richard Jackson, to bring forgotten song repertoire to attention. His great project for the Hyperion label was a series of thirty-seven CDs containing all the songs of Franz Schubert. Series of songs by Schumann and by French composers such as Fauré followed. His first recording for Hyperion was Voices of the Night (1980). He is also known for his extensive liner notes, and has written books, including The French Song Companion.

Influence

Johnson received an OBE, several Gramophone Awards and, in 2018, the Schubert Prize of the German Schubert Gesellschaft, among other honours. He is professor of accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His work shows that in song the pianist is an equal partner of the singer.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a song by Schubert from the Hyperion Schubert Edition and notice how the piano does not merely accompany but itself depicts the water, the wind or the unrest. Hear how singer and pianist breathe together.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists