Nicholas Hodges

Nicolas Hodges was born in London. One of the most exciting performers of his generation, Hodges has captivated audiences worldwide with his interpretations of classical, romantic, 20th century and contemporary repertoire, leading the Guardian to comment “Hodges’s recitals always boldly go where few other pianists dare ... with an energy that sometimes defies belief.”

Hodges has featured as concerto soloist with many of the world’s finest orchestras, including a critically acclaimed debut with the New York Philharmonic under David Robertson, and subscription debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony. He premiered Thomas Adès’ In Seven Days with the London Sinfonietta at the Royal Festival Hall in 2008, and subsequently performed it in the LA Phil’s “Green Umbrella” series and with the Netherlands Radio Symphony, all under the composer’s direction. He regularly appears at music festivals throughout the world, including Tanglewood, the Edinburgh Festival, the BBC Proms, the Dialogues festival in Salzburg, and the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

As well as the standard repertoire, exemplified both in concerto performances and mixed recital programmes (such as his programme of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata paired with 20th century works), Hodges’ commitment to contemporary music is second to none. Elliott Carter’s concerto Dialogues was written for Hodges, commissioned by the BBC. After its premiere with the London Sinfonietta under Oliver Knussen, the concerto was recorded for Bridge Records. He subsequently gave the US premiere with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim.

Hodges maintains a close relationship to many of today’s most important composers. Those who have written works for him include Harrison Birtwistle, Wolfgang Rihm, Salvatore Sciarrino and Beat Furrer, and he also has close working relationships with Adams, Ferneyhough, Harvey, Kagel, Knussen, Lachenmann, Neuwirth, Nørgård and the late Karlheinz Stockhausen. A committed teacher, he educates young pianists particularly in the relationship between the performance of standard repertoire and contemporary works; he also works with young composers, attempting to demystify the complexities of writing for the piano.

An energetic recording artist, he has released more than 20 CDs to wide critical acclaim, including Adams on Nonesuch, Carter on Bridge and Gershwin on Metronome.