Bowen Sonata for Two Flutes

Bowen (1884-1961) was a renowned English composer and pianist known for his Romantic style and rich harmonic language. He wrote over 160 works and was also a talented conductor, organist, violist and horn player.

Born in London, Bowen showed exceptional talent early on and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at 14, studying composition and piano.

Bowen premiered his own works, including all four of his piano concertos, and performed regularly at prestigious venues. Many of Bowen’s instrumental works were dedicated to and premiered by renowned musicians. In 1910 Fritz Kreisler performed the Suite in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 28, and many other renowned violinists of the time later gave performances of the work, including Joseph Szigeti, Michael Zacharewitsch and Efrem Zimbalist. The celebrated violinist Marjorie Hayward performed Bowen’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 33, at the Proms in 1920 and the first performances of Sonata for Horn and Piano, Op. 101, and Concerto for Horn, Strings and Timpani, Op. 150, were given by Aubrey Brain and Dennis Brain respectively. Bowen also composed works for his contemporaries, including Carl Dolmetsch, Léon Goossens, Beatrice Harrison, Pauline Juler and Gareth Morris.

During his lifetime Bowen also published editions of works by other composers. These included a three-volume edition of Mozart’s piano works published between 1931 and 1932. In addition, Bowen produced editions of many of Chopin’s nocturnes, preludes, valses, ballades and scherzos between 1948 and 1950.

Bowen performed his works with many famous musicians of the day, including Kreisler and Tertis and appeared as a soloist in his own concertos under the batons of Henry Wood and Hans Richter. He was a prolific composer who included many instrumental duos, chamber music, piano music, four piano concertos, a viola concerto and four symphonies amongst his compositions. He was also a highly respected Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

http://www.yorkbowen.co.uk/