Malcolm Martineau was a given an honorary doctorate at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2004, and appointed International Fellow of Accompaniment in 2009. Malcolm was the Artistic Director of the 2011 Leeds Lieder Festival. He was awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours.
Malcolm Martineau is one of the world’s greatest accompanists. He appears throughout Europe, North America, the Far East and Australasia with many of the world’s greatest singers and records widely for the major recording companies. Recording projects have included Schubert, Schumann and English song recitals with Bryn Terfel (for Deutsche Grammophon), Schubert and Strauss recitals with Simon Keenlyside (for EMI), recital records with Angela Gheorghiu and Barbara Bonney (for Decca), Magdalena Kozena (for DG) and Della Jones (for Chandos), the complete Faure songs with Sarah Walker and Tom Krause, the complete Britten Folk Songs for Hyperion and the complete Beethoven Folk Songs for Deutsche Grammophon. Other recordings include the complete Poulenc and Mendelssohn songs, Schubert with Florian Boesch, My True Love Hath My Heart with Dame Sarah Connolly, Heimlische Aufförderrung and Scene! with Christiane Karg, Portraits with Dorothea Röschmann, Reger with Sophie Bevan.
Florian Boesch baritone Anush Hovhanissyan soprano Ida Evelina Ränzlöv mezzo-soprano Nick Pritchard tenor Oliver Johnston tenor Alexey Gusev baritone Samuel Hasselhorn baritone Malcolm Martineau piano
Soprano: Lorna Anderson Soprano: Louise Kemény Soprano: Isobel Buchanan Soprano: Janis Kelly Mezzo-Soprano: Sarah Connolly Mezzo-Soprano: Ann Murray Counter-tenor: Iestyn Davies Baritone: John Chest Baritone: William Dazeley Piano: Malcolm Martineau
Soprano: Anush Hovhannlsyan Mezzo-soprano: Sarah Connolly Tenor: John Mark Ainsley Tenor: Luis Gomes Tenor: Robin Tritschler Baritone: Christopher Maltman Piano: Malcolm Martineau
Soprano: Janis Kelly Soprano: lorna Anderson Mezzo-Soprano: Sarah Connolly Mezzo- Soprano: Ann Murray Countertenor: Iestyn Davies Tenor: Ben Johnson Baritone: Thomas Oliemans Baritone: John Chest Baritone: Nigel Cliffe Piano: Malcolm Martineau
Soprano: Lorna Anderson Soprano: Janis Kelly Soprano: Joan Rodgers Mezzo-soprano: Ann Murray Countertenor: Iestyn Davies Tenor: Ben Johnson Baritone: Nigel Cliffe Baritone: John Chest Piano: Malcolm Martineau
10 Jan 21Schumann, Brahms Deutsche Grammophon album
“The elegant Latvian mezzo has recorded songs with orchestra before, but this is her first recital on disc with piano accompaniment. Her choice of pianist is astute: Martineau, whose solo spot in the exquisite postlude to Schumann’s much-recorded cycle Frauenliebe und Leben is as moving as anything on this fine disc.”
“Am Klavier unterstützte ihn der schottische Pianist Malcom Martineau, der an der Oper schon viele große Sängerinnen und Sänger begleitet hat. Martineau bewusst zurückhaltendes Spiel passte sich Boeschs Gesangsinterpretation äußerst ausgeglichen und harmonisch an.”
14 Aug 19Recital, Amber Wagner Edinburgh International Festival
“Martineau, whose sole Edinburgh appearance this seems to be this year, was a wonderful counterpoint to this, with his delicacy and poise, especially at the end of songs.”
“Dazu braucht man einen Klavierbegleiter wie Malcolm Martineau, der einerseits in selbstsicherer Distanz und Eigenständigkeit bleibt und sich andererseits nicht zum Konkurrenten aufspielt.”
“Schades kongenialer Klavierpartner Malcolm Martineau trug die Präsentation des Tenors voll mit und gestaltete seinen Part mit szenischer Farbigkeit und zwingender Präsenz.”
“Malcolm Martineau präsentierte sich einmal mehr als verlässlicher Partner, wobei er diesmal auch sein Gefühl für das Dramatische auskostete, da Schubert ja die „Begleitung“ über das bis dahin übliche Maß aufwertet. Dem großen Formenreichtum dieses inneren Dramas des verliebten Handwerksburschen wurden Martineau und Schade mit einer großen Palette an Ausdrucksmitteln gerecht, von zart bis innerlich bebend – jedoch nie auf Kosten einer melodiösen Linienführung.” Theresa Steininger, Die Presse, 3 April 2019
02 Dec 18Recital, Anna Netrebko Lyric Opera of Chicago
“One of the leading accompanists of his generation, esteemed Scottish pianist Malcolm Martineau, accompanied Anna. His unique talent to make piano and the human voice sound like one living organism sparkled the Lyric’s stage and added special color to Anna’s voice, which was shining with rich texture and extreme depth. Martineau has performed with top world-renowned singers throughout Europe, North America, the Far East and Australasia. His participation in Netrebko’s recital at Lyric Opera of Chicago became another gem in the colorful palette of his outstanding musical career.” Natalia Dagenhart, Daily Herald, 4 December 2018
08 Nov 18Recital, Thomas Oliemans Walter Hall Toronto
“He was supported in no small way by the magnificent — but never overstated — pianism of that master of collaborative piano, Malcolm Martineau. This recital won’t be easy to top in the rest of the WMCT season.” Joseph So, Ludwig van Toronto, 12 November 2018
25 Mar 18Recital, Susan Graham Washington University, St. Louis
“Martineau is the consummate musical partner, supporting and assisting while playing flawlessly. It’s no mystery that he’s sought after by so many of the world’s great singers.” Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Louis Today, 26 March 2018
13 Feb 18Recital, Dorothea Röschmann Carnegie Hall, New York
“The familiar “Kennst du das Land” was magnificent in every way, expressive of the poem’s varying moods, with delicious lower notes and the words so clear and finely-coloured; and Mr. Martineau here was divine… Mr. Martineau beautifully sustained the poetry with his transportive playing of the postlude. ” Oberon’s Grove, 14 February 2018
08 Feb 18Recital, Dorothea Röschmann Vocal Arts, Washington
“The fluttering notes in the breathless “Dahin” sections of “Kennst du das Land” were a particular highlight from Martineau at the piano, as were the endless gradations of soft sound in the introduction to the standalone song “Nachtstück.” Charles T. Downey, Washington Classical Review, 9 February 2018
16 Jan 18Recital, Dorothea Röschmann Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
“Franz Schubert’s settings of his verse, followed by Nachtstuck, setting Johann Mayrhofer, saw her in full expressive mode from the beginning, with Martineau, as always, the most observant of partners. In the Mahler Ruckert-Lieder that followed – a distinctly different dramatic approach seemingly agreed in their minute off-stage – the poise in his playing, and in the transition between songs, was the perfect accompaniment to her incredible instrument and her remarkable fluctuation in dynamics between syllables of the same word.” Keith Bruce, Herald Scotland, 17 January 2018
27 Oct 17MENDELSSOHNComplete Songs, Vol. 3: Fanny Hensel, 'The Other Mendelssohn'
“Her songbook, delivered here by four international singers and the pianist Malcolm Martineau, draws on Schiller, Goethe, Lenau, Klopstock and Heine – whom Fanny ardently disliked. Her musical style has more in common with the young Schumann than it does with her brother. The heart is worn recklessly on her sleeve; the words fit the music like a kid glove. Clearly intended for home use, the songs were never designed to be heard end to end, but there are many high points, notably the Wanderers Nachtlied, which hints at untapped depths of loneliness. Her style betrays no hint of deference or insecurity. Fanny Hensel is a mature composer, barely bothering to look over her shoulder at what her brother is up to. The young singers – Susana Gaspar (Portugal), Gary Griffiths (Wales), Manuel Walser (Switz.) and Kitty Whaley (England) – are almost overly enthusiastic about these excellent songs.” Norman Lebrecht, MyScena, 23 February 2018
09 Aug 17Recital, Sir Bryn Terfel Usher Hall Edinburgh
“…Terfel sang a selection of water-themed Schubert songs with consummate ease, his lilting melodies floating over Martineau’s quicksilver piano accompaniment.” Susan Nickalls, The Scotsman, 11 August 2017
15 May 17Decades: A Century of Song, Vol 2, 1820-1830
“It’s an intriguing look at a creative tradition that dominated the salon music of the 19th century … Martineau’s empathetic pianism is the steadying omnipresence.” Fiona Shepperd, Scotsman, 15 May 2017
“Fauré’s elusive mix of fragility and strength always shines through, with Malcolm Martineau ever an authoritative, agile and responsive pianist.” Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 7 May 2017
“…Fauré’s elusive mix of fragility and strength always shines through, with Malcolm Martineau ever an authoritative, agile and responsive pianist.” Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian, 7 May 2017
23 Apr 17Recital, Susan Graham Shriver Hall, Baltimore
“The mezzo-soprano’s local debut featured the ingenious, revelatory “Frauenliebe und -leben: Variations” program that she and first-rate pianist Malcolm Martineau put together a few years ago, a program that has understandably earned them plaudits.
Throughout, Martineau provided invaluable partnering. He produced an orchestra’s worth of tonal textures, a poet’s range of temperament and nuance.
The several keyboard codas along the way gave him an extra opportunity to reveal his artistic sensibilities, as in the tolling bell-like conclusion of that Granados lament.
The extended piano solo that ends Schumann’s cycle — repeating the music from the beginning, as if to say this woman’s life might have another chapter — was phrased by Martineau with particular incisiveness.” Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun, 26 April 2017
19 Apr 17Recital, Anne Schwanewilms Theater of the Arts, Washington DC
“Her partner, pianist Malcolm Martineau, set the stage admirably, for example, in the lilting triplet motif in “Traum durch die Dämmerung” and other delicate textures at the keyboard.
25 Aug 16Florian Boesch Edinburgh International Festival
“…the communication between him and pianist Malcolm Martineau – absolutely on peak form here – could not have been more immediately obvious in the rhythms, pauses and dynamics. The animation they both later brought to Impatience was another revelation: Boesch and Martineau are quite simply the people you want to hear perform this work…” Keith Bruce, Herald Scotland, 25 August 2016
15 Aug 16Magdalena Kozena Edinburgh International Festival
“…he remains as expressive and sensitive a partner of singers as ever. Neither the Wolf sequence not the Schoenberg songs would have been the same without him, with much of the musical wit in the performance emanating from his fingers.”
17 Jun 16Faure: Complete Songs Vol. Signum Classics
“Malcolm Martineau, number one pianist of choice for so many singers, follows his Poulenc series for Signum with another survey of a French composer’s songs. Fauré’s music here benefits from his light but purposeful touch and mercurial responsiveness to the words of his singers – a team of eight, mixing experience and freshness. Martineau is in his element throughout, guiding the songs unerringly and keeping sensuality and simplicity in balance.” Erica Jeal, The Guardian, 7 July 2016
“The last word here, though, belongs to Malcolm Martineau. Make that five words: collaborative, sensitive, virtuosic, insightful, indefatigable. Fauré makes insistent use of arpeggios in his accompaniments, but has anyone made these sing more eloquently? The pianist’s fingers dance across ‘Le papillon et la fleur’ as though it were one of Satie’s cabaret songs; they ripple gently beneath ‘Rencontre’, heat up the febrile clusters of ‘Toujours!’ and find reams of expression in the pared-back writing of Le Jardin clos. Martineau is a pure and faithful interpreter of Fauré, and Signum’s secret weapon.” Mark Valencia, Classical Source, August 2016
“Martineau… played with a silvery agility all afternoon. He responded to Netrebko with exciting immediacy and offered ideas back to her in a stimulating collaboration. Their light touch together on Rimsky-Korsakov’s “To the realm of roses and wine” was in contrast to the album and exemplary of the beauty of the concert…” George Grella, New York Classical Review, 29 February 2016
“The still serenity of Connolly’s enveloping tone with sparkling accompaniment like twinkling stars from Martineau was exquisite in Erwartung (Waiting).” Carol Main, The Scotsman, 18 August 2015
“Together thier soft-hewn, intricate, supremely conversational detail was captivating…. Martineau a flawless scene setter.” Kate Molleson, The Herald, 18 August 2015
“In Mozart’s ravishing Ch’io scordi mi te, Karg complements the delicate tones of Malcolm Martineau’s fortepiano in an unusually intimate performance…” Richard Wigmore, Gramophone, July 2015
“Röschmann’s pianist, Martineau, is exceptional — almost the most beautiful passage on the disc is the postlude to Morgen. Astonishingly, this is the singer’s first disc of Lieder since her 2002 joint Schumann album with Ian Bostridge. Now she is at the height of her powers, vocally. Her rich, silver-flecked soprano brings a rare expressive and passionate intensity to Schubert’s famed Gretchen am Spinnrade and to Wolf’s Mignon singing Kennst Du das Land? (Do you know the land where the lemon-tree blossoms?)”
“…the heartfelt performance by Anne Schwanewilms and meltingly beautiful accompaniment by Malcolm Martineau – just listen to that carefree song in the piano on Wenn dein Muetterlein – make this compelling listening…” Claudia Pritchard, Independent, 31 May 2015
“Malcolm Martineau provides piano accompaniment of a variety and intimacy that suits the songs perfectly, perhaps more so than the usual orchestral version.” Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 26 July 2015
13 Nov 14No Exceptions No Exemptions Robin Tritschler; Signum Classics
“Armed with the sensitive Malcolm Martineau as his accompanist…” Geoff Brown, The Times, 13 November 2014
“The gifted tenor Robin Tritschler’s singing is nuanced sensitively, while the pianist Malcolm Martineau is, as always, an astute partner.” Stephen Pettitt, The Sunday Times
21 Oct 14Recital with Elina Garanca Barbican Centre
“Garanča, accompanied everywhere with huge flair and sensitivity by Malcolm Martineau, found a fierce sensuousness within her mezzo — though in Leises Lied and All mein’ Gedanken a new translucency and weightlessness too.” Hilary Finch, The Times, 23 October 2014
10 Sep 14Recital with Sir Thomas Allen Wigmore Hall
“Yet there was never really any doubt that Allen’s art, beautifully supported by pianist Malcolm Martineau, would in the end conquer nature…Allen’s wit and pointedness, as well as his sheer stage presence, came to the fore in Ravel’s richly quirky animal settings, Histoires Naturelles, with Martineau again excellent in the lustrous piano part.” Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 10 September 2014
07 Jul 14Heimlische Aufförderung Christiane Karg; Berlin Classics
“The enraptured unfurling of sound in Malcolm Martineau’s piano introduction creates dappled light for Christiane Karg’s long, warm-breathed phrasing in Das Rosenband, a radiant start to this recital….Karg’s Ophelia Songs are moving in their bleached, waif-like tones, their distracted volatility nicely recreated in the fingers of Martineau.” Hilary Finch, BBC Music Magazine August 2014
This is a great disc from a wonderful singer, but is the greater for the exquisitely-sensitive pianism of Malcolm Martineau, whose dynamic shading and heart-stopping timing lie at the core of these magical performances and re-define the words “accompaniment” and “collaboration”. Michael Tumelty, The Herald, 13th July 2014
“After the interval came four ravishingly coloured Strauss songs, with Morgen’s “speechless silence of bliss” exquisitely rendered by Malcolm Martineau in the postlude. Then came Hugo Wolf’s Mignon lieder, the waves emanating from Martineau’s piano alternately battering and lapping gently against the melody’s dolorous contours in Kennst du das Land.
Röschmann’s gorgeously tempered soprano can fill the Wigmore Hall with ease…But it was the consummate artistry of both singer and pianist that made this recital such joy, and pain, to behold.”
“Malcolm Martineau did marvels with the quasi-orchestral piano accompaniments, from the rippling arpeggios of L’Invitation to the tempestuous seascape of La Vague et la Cloche, complete with crashing waves and clanging bell.” Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 24 April 2014
“Songlives is the Wigmore Hall concert series dreamt up by lieder supremo Malcolm Martineau to explore a composer’s whole life, chronologically, through his output…Kudos to Martineau for a small but perfectly balanced selection, and he relished Duparc’s rich piano lines…” Neil Fisher, The Times, 25 April 2014
“Buoyed by Malcolm Martineau’s piano playing…” Hannah Nepil, Financial Times, 24 April 2014
“Hearing Duparc done on a large-ish scale is to be reminded of just how Wagnerian he is (Elégie is straight out of Tristan und Isolde), a point also emphasised by Martineau’s big-boned, intensely lyrical playing.” Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 24 April 2014
01 Feb 14The complete songs of Poulenc: Vol.4 Signum
“…and in this fourth volume his piano-playing continues to lend a keen and characterful edge to the various musical pictures that Poulenc creates… The rhythmic teases of the Poèmes de Ronsard are cunningly negotiated by Martineau…” Geoffrey Norris, Gramophone, February 2014
18 Dec 13Recital with Simon Keenlyside Barbican Centre
“Martineau’s understated virtuosity was most obvious in the Wolf songs that opened the second half, their multiple ambiguities conveyed by both performers without any hint of preciousness or emotional artifice. There was superb pianism, too, in the Schubert and especially Brahms sequences, in which Keenlyside’s concern with searching out meanings that other singers overlook was perfectly matched by insights from his keyboard partner.” George Hall, The Guardian, 19 December 2013
“Most important, he sings the poetry as if every word matters, whether in English or German, and with Malcolm Martineau as the subtlest of accompanists, there was plenty of light and shade among the prevailing gloom.” Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 19 December 2013
26 Nov 13SCHUBERTDie schöne Müllerin Florian Boesch; Onyx
“…an exceptionally vivid and dramatic account of the cycle, full of fierce anger and tenderness…thanks to the natural brightness of Boesch’s voice and the sensitivity and subtlety of Malcolm Martineau’s outstanding piano playing.” The Sunday Times, 24 November 2013
“…with Malcolm Martineau energetically complicit, Boesch presents a robust young wanderer, his voice relaxed and comfortably focused enough to leave the minutiae of emphasis and expressive nuance to Martineau’s fingers.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2014
“…Martineau give[s] equally affecting performances while communicating a real ink-still-wet-on-the-page vitality.” Robert Levett, International Record Review, May 2013
01 Mar 13Lieder for the turn of a century Champs Hill Records
“Accompanied with panache by Malcolm Martineau…a judicious mix of not-too-brash bravado and playful sensuality makes this performance just the ticket.” Richard Fairman, Gramophone, March 2013
“Abetted by Malcolm Martineau’s richly coloured playing…Graham and Martineau catch the sensuality of the opening song without traducing the composer’s request for simplicity, and perfectly judge the mix of aristocratic refinement and Monmartre cabaret languor in ‘Violin’. ‘Il vole’ (the fiendish keyboard part brilliantly despatched by Martineau)…” Richard Wigmore, Gramophone, March 2013
“Soprano Sylvia Schwartz’s reputation as a rising star is confirmed by her Hyperion debut album, a programme of songs from her native Spain, finely accompanied by Malcolm Martineau.” Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 7 February 2013
“The mixture is perfect for this programme of Spanish songs, some barely a minute long, all beautifully characterised by the soprano and her accompanist Malcolm Martineau.” Anna Picard, The Independent, 3 March 2013
“Schwartz shows a wonderful voice, warm responsiveness to the texts and perfectly idiomatic Spanish…Martineau is, as ever, the perfect collaborator.” Classical Music Magazine, April 2013
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