Leslie Howard

An Australian pianist celebrated for his command of Liszt, Leslie Howard completed his early studies in his homeland before establishing a permanent base in England. There he concentrated on recital work, pedagogy, and musicological research centered almost exclusively on the Hungarian composer. One of his most notable accomplishments is the traversal of every solo piano composition by Liszt, encompassing numerous pieces that had remained unheard since the composer’s lifetime. Frequently recognized for his expertise, Howard has transmitted his insights through master classes whose clarity and authority illuminate Liszt’s stylistic essence.

In Melbourne he worked with Donald Britton, June McLean, and Michael Brimer, making his first appearance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1967. He joined the faculty of Monash University in 1970 and relocated to England two years later. Additional pianistic instruction came from Noretta Conci, while Franco Donatoni guided his work in composition; further refinement occurred at master classes led by Guido Agosti in Siena. As he toured widely across Europe and Australia, Howard earned acclaim as a technically commanding performer whose interpretations rest on meticulous scholarship. From 1987 onward he also taught at the Guildhall School of Music.

In 1985 he launched the extensive recording project that concluded in 1999 with ninety-four compact discs containing Liszt’s complete solo piano output, some of it prepared from previously unpublished manuscripts. Throughout this endeavor Hyperion Records provided consistent backing. Howard has presided over the British Liszt Society and holds honorary membership in Bologna’s Istituto Liszt. At the institute’s inaugural event, director Rossana Dalmonte outlined its goals while Howard presented a drawing-room recital on a restored 1860s Steinway, programming works that ranged from the Sarabande und Chaconne from Handel’s Almira to Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. His selection for that occasion underscored the regard in which Liszt scholars hold him.

Named a Member of the Order of Australia in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the arts, Howard received Hungary’s Pro Cultura Hungarica Award in 2000. In 2009 he assumed the presidency of the Alkan Society while continuing to lead the Liszt Society. He appears regularly as a commentator on radio and television and performs as pianist of the London Beethoven Trio alongside violinist Catherine Manson and cellist Thomas Carroll. Additional recordings include a two-disc survey of Rubinstein, the Tchaikovsky piano sonatas, and two double-CD volumes of Liszt’s works for piano and orchestra with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra under Karl Anton Rickenbacher; his accounts of Rachmaninov’s music likewise maintain high critical standing.