Richard McMahon was singularly lucky with his
three teachers, Ella Pounder, Gordon Green and Vlado Perlemuter
through whom he can trace links to Solomon, Petri, Cortot and
Ravel.
A South Bank debut whilst a student led to a
decade performing the entire repertoire for four hands. Established
also as a solo pianist, he enjoyed a successful period of freelance
activity in both genres and with concerts throughout the UK,
overseas, innumerable broadcasts, important first performances,
Promenade concerts, TV appearances and several commercial
recordings.
The Times: "an electrifying performance of
The Rite of Spring. It was startling to find its power undiminished
when stripped bare in piano monochrome."
Daily Telegraph: "outstanding performances
of Chopin, Stravinsky and Ravel. . . . His account of two great
Chopin works, the Barcarolle and the Polonaise in F sharp minor,
showed that he could vitalize groups of notes by minute details of
shading. . . . the careful artistry that belongs to the
craftsman."
Gramophone Magazine: "Besides the
virtuosity often demanded by these works, McMahon's performances
are marked by his alert musicality and his response to their
extraordinarily diverse moods. A warmly recommendable
disc."
Originally invited to teach for Cardiff
University by Alun Hoddinott, Richard extended his professional
life to Wales where he has made his home for the last 40 years.
Richard McMahon led the Keyboard department of
the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama until retiring from
this position in July 2015. His time with the RWCMD began in 1996
and he is pleased to have played a small part in the development of
this major conservatoire. Looking back, there are many highlights,
not least the many generations of students, the international
dimension to his career and the advent of all-Steinway status for
the RWCMD. Looking forward, he hopes to continue teaching for many
years to come while continuing his concert career.
Cheltenham Gazette (Mozart Concerto K488):
"The ensemble was joined by magnificent soloist Richard McMahon. As
to be expected, Richard displayed total understanding of weight on
the keys – a ‘touch’ which seemed truly deep seated and emanating
from within him. . . . The piano not only spoke to us, it ‘sang’ -
with a rare sensuousness and ‘soul’ – a signature quality of this
particular pianist. His wonderful playing was thoroughly
appreciated by a transfixed audience and explained his huge
success, over the years, both as performer and teacher."