Andrew Thayer profile picture

Andrew Thayer

Pianist

About Me


"You play beautifully, with great elegance and with an exceptionally luxurious concept of sound and rhythm. Bravo!"
John Bell Young, critic- American Record Guide; Clavier; St Petersburg Times (quoted with permission).
I am a Birmingham-based pianist and teacher. I studied music academically at Royal Holloway (University of London) where I was awarded a BMus (2:1). I also studied performance as a postgraduate in Birmingham Conservatoire where I received a PGDip and an MA. I have played recitals in various venues in cities including London, Birmingham and Cardiff and I also gave performances of Rachmaninoff's 2nd concerto with the Royal Holloway Symphony Orchestra under Peter Lipari.
In 2004 I won the Sylvia Cleaver Chamber Music Prize as a member of the 'Trio Gustav' and in 2005 I was awarded the Renna Kellaway Piano Prize, as well as the John Ireland Prize. I was also a finalist in the Symphony Hall Competition, Birmingham.
I currently teach students (from beginners to diploma level) in Bromsgrove School and Adams Grammar School in Newport. I also take private students in Birmingham.
I'm particularly interested in historic recordings of the great old-school pianists like Nyiregyhazi, Horowitz, Cortot and Rachmaninoff. I like to attempt to analyse the musical thinking that led to such interesting, emotional sounds rather than the dull competition-playing of today.
My favourite breed of fish that shares its name with a 70s haircut is the mullet. I dislike people with hairy ears, MTV, lime pickle, uncomfortable designer jeans, metrical executions of classical music, people who think ginger is a useful ingredient in a recipe, modern-day intolerance towards the moustache and women who smoke pipes in poorly ventilated areas.
See more videos at:
http://youtube.com/profile?user=cziffra1980
Grand Fantasy on Inspector Gadget by Andrew Thayer
Etude op. 25 no. 11 ('The Winter Wind') by Chopin (apologies for the 'casual' attire)
Theme from the Incredible Hulk (The Lonely Man) by Joe Harnell
The Swan from Carnival of Animals by Saint-Saens (freely transcribed by Godowsky for piano solo)
Scriabin Etude op. 8 no. 12 (D sharp minor)
'Be my love' arranged by Keith Jarrett

My Interests

Snooker, golf, darts, collecting weird stuff, wax seals and dressing gowns.

I'd like to meet:

Anyone who wants to book me for a concert or to arrange a lesson.Also Sid Little, Richard Dean Anderson (in his capacity as the actor who used to play MacGyver rather than as the loser who appears in Stargate) Arcadi Volodos, the Spitting Image puppet of Jeremy Paxman, that lookalike of the queen who is always on television but who doesn't really look all that much like her, whoever is responsible for the terrible sound of modern Steinways and attractive women with unusually coloured hair (pink, green, blue etc.) who are without any weird piercings.

Music:

My favourite pieces include the Metamorphosen for 23 string instruments by Richard Strauss (not the Karajan recording though- it's surprisingly crap) Tristan and Isolde by Wagner and the 1st mvt from Mahler's tenth symphony. Also 'Be my Love' sung by Mario Lanza, or played on solo piano by Keith Jarrett.

Movies:

SpongeBob Squarepants, Vertigo, Eraserhead, Being John Malkovich (and Being Ron Jeremy), Blazing Saddles, Man on the Moon, Amelie, Napoleon Dynamite, Dead Poets Society, The Three Amigos, Dawn of the Dead (the original), The Naked Gun and Klaus the Forklift Truck Driver.

Television:

Peepshow, Poirot, The Prisoner, Curb your Enthusiasm, Lost, Jeeves and Wooster, The Simpsons, Futurama, Neighbours, The Incredible Hulk, Inspector Gadget (only the original ones) etc.

Books:

Michael Marshall Smith, Tom Sharpe, Joseph Heller, Ben Elton, and the legendary Dick Francis.

Heroes:

Ervin Nyiregyhazi, Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Bruce Lee, Mario Lanza, Enrico Caruso, Larry David and Andy Kaufman.