Viv gives a masterclass

6:40pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

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Award-winning international pianist Viv McLean is the main attraction when St Mary's Church in Barnes holds another of its popular recital evenings.

A regular collaborator with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra, McLean has been a talent in demand for his skills which the Sunday Times described as "technical mastery".

McLean studied at the Royal Academy of Music where he held the Hodgson Fellowship and was rewarded for his prowess with funding from both the Hattori Foundation and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

And it did not take long for the pianist to make his mark on the concert circuit, winning the Wigmore Award after a stunning recital debut at Wigmore Hall.

Little surprise then that McLean's skills were showcased the length and breadth of the country as promoters queued up to book the pianist.

Performances in various UK festivals were matched with a global opus that took in numerous European countries along with Japan, Australia and the USA.

McLean has also taken to the airwaves, appearing on both BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.

He has received glowing praise from the genre Press and Le Monde newspaper described him as having "extraordinary originality, superb simplicity and fingers of steel hidden behind muscles of velvet."

His talents have also been commited to disc, with a number of releases for both Sony Classical and Naxos, including a recent recording of Gershwin's Songbook alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

No doubt, then, that McLean's talents will find a welcome home at St Mary's, who will be celebrating the Feast Of James the Apostle on the day of the recital.

Viv McLean, St Mary's Church, Church Road, Barnes, Friday, July 25, 8pm, free. Call 020 8741 5427 or email stmarybarnes.org for more information or visit vivmclean.com