Stephen Gutman
British pianist Stephen Gutman studied at the Royal College of Music in London and with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris. He has performed on the South Bank, in the Wigmore Hall, in the USA, Japan and throughout Europe. His friendship with the pianist Michal Hambourg was an important influence on his playing. He is a first prizewinner of both the Brant International Piano Competition and the British Contemporary Piano Competition.
Stephen’s enthusiasm for French keyboard music including the French Baroque led to a critically acclaimed recording of the complete keyboard works of Rameau played on the modern piano for the Toccata label (5 stars for the final CD in BBC Music Magazine). This includes his transcription of the Pièces de clavecin en concerts.
Committed to the music of our time, Stephen has encouraged the creation of new work in a series of projects which have placed it in the context of significant but relatively neglected repertoire. A project based on the fantasy ‘What strikes the clocke’ by 17th century composer Edward Gibbons integrated music by people of all ages and backgrounds. Distinguished composers who have written works for him include Julian Anderson, Martin Butler, Tansy Davies, Gabriel Jackson and Anthony Payne. Several of his recordings are available on NMC, and his performances of Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Finnissy, and Morton Feldman have been broadcast on France Musique, Deutsche Rundfunk, and BBC Radio 3. He contributed a chapter on Simon Holt’s piano music to the book on that composer published by Boydell.
Active as a player of chamber music, Stephen has performed with many artists. He works with string players at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He had a longstanding collaboration with the soprano Sarah Leonard. He has given piano masterclasses at conservatoires and summer courses in the UK and abroad and regularly leads courses for amateur players in piano and in chamber music at Benslow Music and Jackdaws.
Stephen has worked with many ensembles including Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Composers Ensemble, Endymion, the Esbjerg Ensemble, New Music Players, Sharp Edge (RPO), and the Verbier Festival Ensemble.