| Biography | John Constable was born in London and studied with Harold Craxton at the Royal Academy of Music, of which he is a Fellow. He began his career on the music staff of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He has been principal pianist of the London Sinfonietta since its formation and is also principal harpsichordist of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He is a professor at the Royal College of Music.
John has made a great many recital records of songs and chamber music. Recent releases include a CD of music for viola and piano with Paul Silverthorne, a recital of Liszt songs with Philip Langridge, a collection of Warlock songs with Adrian Thompson and Christopher Maltman, Fauré and Ravel songs with Felicity Palmer, Haydn with Dame Janet Baker, A Spanish Songbook with Jill Gomez and Lecuona songs with Carole Farley. With Lucy Shelton he has recorded Messiaens HarawiI and the complete songs of Elliott Carter and Stravinsky.
He has accompanied in Europe, Japan and the USA, at the Musikverein Vienna, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Prague Spring Festival, the Ferenc Liszt Academy Budapest, the Metropolitan Museum New York, Carnegie Hall, The Lincoln Centre, Suntory Hall Tokyo, The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the opera houses of Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Geneva. With Lucy Shelton he gave the world premiere of Elliott Carters Of challenge and of love at the Aldeburgh Festival. They also performed it in Hanover, London, Amsterdam, New York and Chicago. He has given recitals in many London festivals including the BBCs New British Music and Lutoslawski weekends at the Barbican and the American Independents Festival at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. In 2000 he was a soloist in the Boulez at 75 festival on the South Bank and in 2001 in the BBCs Schnittke Festival at the Barbican and at a Chamber Prom at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In March 2005 he played a concerto especially written for him by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead with the London Sinfonietta at the Royal Festival Hall.
As a harpsichordist John has recorded for Argo, Decca, EMI, Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Hannsler and Capriccio. He has performed and recorded concertos with David Atherton, Sir Colin Davis, Hans-Werner Henze, Elgar Howarth, Oliver Knussen and Sir Simon Rattle. He has played and directed concertos with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group for the BBC and with the London Sinfonietta in Barcelona. He has played in two Philips cycles of Mozart operas, one conducted by Sir Colin Davis and one by Sir Neville Mariner. He performed and recorded Cosí fan tutteI with Sir Simon Rattle in 1995 and Don Giovanni with Sir Georg Solti in 1996. He has also recorded with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. In 1998 he performed the Elliott Carter Double Concerto with the London Sinfonietta at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and with the ASKO ensemble at the Concertgebouw. |