James Rhodes free download of Ravel’s Toccata
aaamusic | On 22, Nov 2010
The first ever classical musician to be signed to Warner Bros. Records, the London-based pianist James Rhodes will release his first album for the label entitled ‘Bullets & Lullabies’ on December 6th. To celebrate this, Rhodes has decided to make his performance of Maurice Ravel’s composition Toccata available as a free download as a taster for his new album.
“I thought I’d give you an early Christmas present. And maybe dedicate it to Wills and Kate in a cynical attempt to garner some more press coverage,” says Rhodes. “Maurice Ravel wrote this piece during the 1st World War where he served as an ambulance driver. He was a bit of a nut job before the war and by the end of it he was, unsurprisingly, never to be the same. It’s a furious, manic, whirlwind of the piece dedicated to a friend of his who died in the war. Although only 4 minutes long there are somewhere between 20-30 notes a second – it’s a musical advert for Red Bull. Ravel used to hang out in Harlem with Gershwin, chain-smoking in jazz clubs and this piece reminds me so much of getting on the NYC subway on a roasting hot day, a thousand thoughts a minute crashing through your mind. Rather unfortunately it also reminds me of the first hour or so of my day – from the minute my alarm clock goes off, the mania starts. Welcome to my world…”
Rhodes has forged a career through a resolutely unconventional path. As a child, he used his love of music as a form of escapism against a traumatic life of abuse. After turning down a music scholarship at the age of eighteen, Rhodes didn’t play the piano again for another decade, instead working in the City while battling drug and alcohol addiction, as well as spending time in mental institutions. The birth of his son was the catalyst he needed to quit his day job and to pursue the career he had always dreamed of.
Disc 1, the ‘Bullets’ segment of the album features Rhodes’ performances of compositions by Ravel, Moszkowski, Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Alkan and Blumenfeld. The contrasting second disc, ‘Lullabies’, highlights music byRachmaninov, Debussy, Grieg, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy and Brahms.
‘Bullets & Lullabies’ follows his two critically acclaimed iTunes #1 studio albums to date – his 2009 debut ‘Razor Blades Little Pills and Big Pianos’ and the 2010 follow-up ‘Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside’ – both of which are structured to recreate the style of a live recital experience. Rhodes’ burgeoning reputation has grown dramatically in recent months with the news that he will present a new television show entitled James Rhodes: Piano Man on Sky Arts 2 HD. The series follows James as he reveals the music of his favourite composers and explains the stories behind his affinity for their works. This week Rhodes also became the number 1 most viewed music video on YouTube, a huge rarity for a classical musician. To see the video click here.
Eager to strip away the pretensions and formalities that surround classical music, Rhodes’ own recitals are often held in venues more accustomed to rock gigs rather than classical performances, such as the Latitude Festival, the Roundhouse, the 100 Club,Proud Galleries and the Tabernacle. Rhodes next performance is at the Hinde Street Methodist Church on December 2nd and at The Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall on February 7th. He also has just been re-invited to perform at the 2011Cheltenham Music Festival where he coined and performed the first ever iENCORE using the iPAD score sheet APP. Page changer not required.
