Len Vorster
Len Vorster is one of Australia's finest accompanists, and artistic director of Classical Palette (a Naxos series devoted to contemporary music), of the Schirmer Ensemble, and of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival.
Len Vorster was born in 1954 in South Africa. After postgraduate piano studies with the eminent American pianist Lamar Crowson at the University of Cape Town, he left for Australia in 1983. He made his concerto debut with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra in Mozart's Piano Concerto K456 in 1976.
As concerto soloist he has recorded Michael Easton's Concerto on Australian Themes with the State Orchestra of Victoria for Naxos, and premiered the work in Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, and with the Royal Academy Orchestra in London in 2001. He has given further concerts in America, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and appeared at the Melbourne International Festival, Melbourne Spoleto Festival, Messiaen Festival (in the presence of Messiaen at Melba Hall in 1988), Sydney Festival, Barossa Festival and Castlemaine State Festival.
His recordings have drawn outstanding reviews worldwide, including a Gramophone Magazine award for his Naxos two-piano version of Holst's The Planets (with Robert Chamberlain). Barber & Debussy, with cellist David Berlin, was nominated among Limelight Magazine's best classical CDs of 2011. In 2022 Naxos released his recording with British tenor Ian Partridge of the complete songs and solo piano music of Lord Berners. With soprano Merlyn Quaife he has been nominated for an ARIA award for his Naxos recording of songs and solo piano music by Manuel de Falla. The same year he recorded the solo piano album Night Thoughts, and songs and solo piano music by Melbourne composer Lachlan Brown. His earlier solo album is Summer Waves. Further releases appear on Marco Polo, ABC Classics, Tall Poppies and Move Records, including discs with soprano Vivien Hamilton and flautist Masahide Kurita.
He was founding Artistic Director of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival (1990–2001), and artistic director of Classical Palette (a Naxos series devoted to contemporary music) and of Open Mind, staged concerts of musical, literary, visual and dance events for the Victorian Arts Centre.
For many years he was on the piano staff of the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
lenvorster.net
Artist's website: lenvorster.net
Len Vorster is featured on the following titles
Summer Waves
Len Vorster plays a personal recital of short piano works by Gershwin, de Falla, Lord Berners, Berkeley, Field, Grieg, Debussy, Poulenc and Ravel, drawn toward summer light, dance rhythm and nocturne stillness.
Producer: Executive producer
Sun Fun and other Disappointments: The music of Michael Easton
This compilation gathers British–Australian composer Michael Easton’s output from 1981 to 1993: solo and duo piano, a flute sonata, a piccolo concerto, song cycles, and four songs from his one-woman show Dorothy Parker Says.
By the Winding River: songs from old Chinese Poems by Lachlan Brown
In the tradition of Gustav Mahler’s The Song of the Earth, Lachlan Brown shapes ancient Chinese poems into a modern song cycle of wonder, nature, friendship and longing.
The Night Sky Glory: Songs and Choral Works by Lachlan Brown
Vocal works by Lachlan Brown: songs on poems by Victor Hugo, Heinrich Heine and Rainer Maria Rilke, with wordless vocalises and choral meditations for multi-tracked voices.
Night Thoughts
During the long still nights of Melbourne’s Covid lockdowns, pianist Len Vorster listened widely and thought hard about what he heard. Those evening ruminations became this programme of fifteen nocturnes and night pieces, from Schumann’s circle to Copland.
Arranger
Burns and Beyond
This recording, Burns and Beyond, gathers art songs for voice and modern piano drawn from Robert Burns, and includes Percy Grainger’s Three Scotch Folksongs, built on ancient Scottish tunes.
Kuri: Romantic Flute
Australian–Japanese flautist Masahide Kurita (“Kuri”) offers Romantic virtuoso works for solo flute and flute with piano, with Len Vorster. The selection includes Nielsen’s Fantasy Pieces, the Donizetti Sonata, Lemmoné’s Graceful Dance and Honegger’s Danse de la chèvre.
Cornet Caprice
Tom Paulin and pianist Len Vorster explore the cornet’s brilliance in a recital of virtuoso showpieces and contemporary writing by Bozza, Arban, McCabe, Dreyfus and others.
Len Vorster also appears on
The Marvellous World of George Dreyfus, Vol. 2
The second volume of marvellous music from one of Australia’s favourite composers, George Dreyfus. The programme ranges across folk ballads, choral suites, film and television themes, chamber works and solo showpieces, and gives a clear view of his many-sided craft.
The Marvellous World of George Dreyfus, Vol. 1
A survey of marvellous music by the well-known Australian composer George Dreyfus, one of the country’s most animated musical personalities, spanning concert, film, choral and children’s repertoire.
Lachlan Brown Chamber Works
Lachlan Brown’s Chamber Works offers an hour of beautiful, relaxing music for his favourite instruments and ensembles: piano, harp, organ, violin, cello and string quartet.