Ronald Cavaye
Encyclopedia
Ronald Cavaye is a British pianist, born in England and a resident of the United Kingdom. He is a classical
pianist and writer.
, Hampshire, UK. He began to play the piano at the age of 11 and entered the music department of Winchester School of Art
at the age of 16. He studied there for 2 years with the Canadian-born pianist, Carlina Carr.
In 1969 he began studying at the Royal College of Music
in London where his teachers were Malcolm Binns and Oliver Davies.
In 1973 he gained a DAAD
scholarship to study at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover where his teacher was Hans Leygraf. A further scholarship from the British Council
enabled him to continue his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
in Budapest where he studied with Pál Kadosa
and György Kurtág
.
Marrying the Hungarian pianist, Valeria Szervánszky
, Cavaye then went to teach in Japan where he was appointed professor of piano at the Musashino Academy of Music in 1979.
Now living in London, Ronald Cavaye returns regularly to Japan for concerts, teaching and to work as a translator/narrator for the kabuki
and bunraku
theatres.
. Szervánszky and Cavaye have performed in Europe and the Far East, China and the USA. They have recorded the Mozart
Concertos for 2 and 3 pianos, Stravinsky
's arrangement of The Rite of Spring
for piano duet as well as works by Ravel
and Debussy
. They also made the first complete CD recording of the first four volumes (solos, duets and two pianos) of György Kurtág
's Játékok – "Games". In 1996 Ronald Cavaye also gave the Japanese première Kurtág's …quasi una fantasia… Op.27 No.1 with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michiyoshi Inoue.
Ronald Cavaye is a Steinway
Artist.
, the Paris Autumn Festival and The Times
newspaper, London.
theatre of Japan, since 1982 he has been a translator/narrator for the Earphone Guide in use at Tokyo's Kabuki-za
and National Theatres.
DVD translations and narrations include –
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
pianist and writer.
Biography
Ronald Cavaye was born in AldershotAldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, Hampshire, UK. He began to play the piano at the age of 11 and entered the music department of Winchester School of Art
Winchester School of Art
Winchester School of Art is the art school of the University of Southampton, situated 10 miles north of Southampton in the city of Winchester near the south coast of England.- Overview :...
at the age of 16. He studied there for 2 years with the Canadian-born pianist, Carlina Carr.
In 1969 he began studying at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London where his teachers were Malcolm Binns and Oliver Davies.
In 1973 he gained a DAAD
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
scholarship to study at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover where his teacher was Hans Leygraf. A further scholarship from the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
enabled him to continue his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
The Franz Liszt Academy of Music is a concert hall and music conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875...
in Budapest where he studied with Pál Kadosa
Pál Kadosa
Pál Kadosa was a piano teacher and Hungarian composer of the post-Bartók generation. His early style was influenced by Hungarian folklore while his later works were more toward Hindemith and expressively forceful idioms. He was born in Léva. He studied at the national Hungarian Royal Academy...
and György Kurtág
György Kurtág
György Kurtág is a Hungarian composer of contemporary music.- Biography :György Kurtág was born in Lugoj in the Banat region, Romania.In 1946, he began his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he met his wife, Márta, and also György Ligeti, who became a close friend...
.
Marrying the Hungarian pianist, Valeria Szervánszky
Valeria Szervánszky
Valeria Szervánszky . Hungarian pianist, born in Budapest and now a resident of the United Kingdom. She is a classical pianist.-Biography:...
, Cavaye then went to teach in Japan where he was appointed professor of piano at the Musashino Academy of Music in 1979.
Now living in London, Ronald Cavaye returns regularly to Japan for concerts, teaching and to work as a translator/narrator for the kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
and bunraku
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
theatres.
Performances
Ronald Cavaye specialised mainly in music of the 20th century but now concentrates on the piano duo repertoire, principally with Valeria SzervánszkyValeria Szervánszky
Valeria Szervánszky . Hungarian pianist, born in Budapest and now a resident of the United Kingdom. She is a classical pianist.-Biography:...
. Szervánszky and Cavaye have performed in Europe and the Far East, China and the USA. They have recorded the Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
Concertos for 2 and 3 pianos, Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's arrangement of The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
for piano duet as well as works by Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
and Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
. They also made the first complete CD recording of the first four volumes (solos, duets and two pianos) of György Kurtág
György Kurtág
György Kurtág is a Hungarian composer of contemporary music.- Biography :György Kurtág was born in Lugoj in the Banat region, Romania.In 1946, he began his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he met his wife, Márta, and also György Ligeti, who became a close friend...
's Játékok – "Games". In 1996 Ronald Cavaye also gave the Japanese première Kurtág's …quasi una fantasia… Op.27 No.1 with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michiyoshi Inoue.
Ronald Cavaye is a Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
Artist.
Master-classes & competitions
Ronald Cavaye has taught master-classes at the International Bartók Festival in Hungary, the Central Conservatory in Beijing, the Royal College of Music, London, the Royal Academy of Music, London, Trinity College of Music, London and the Musikhochschule in Graz. He also regularly serves on the jury of international piano competitions such as the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, USA, the Concours International de Piano XXeme. siecle in Orléans, France,the Sakai International Piano Competition in Japan and the International Piano Duo Competition in Tokyo.Writing
Ronald Cavaye is the author of Music Education of the Japanese (in Japanese): Shinchosha, Japan and has written articles for the Edinburgh FestivalEdinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, the Paris Autumn Festival and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper, London.
Kabuki & Bunraku
An expert on the kabukiKabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
theatre of Japan, since 1982 he has been a translator/narrator for the Earphone Guide in use at Tokyo's Kabuki-za
Kabuki-za
' in Ginza was the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form.-Architecture:The original Kabuki-za was a wooden structure, built in 1889 on land which had been either the Tokyo residence of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto, or that of Matsudaira clan of Izu.The building was...
and National Theatres.
- He is the author of –
- "Kabuki – A Pocket Guide" – Charles E. Tuttle, USA and Japan.
- "A Guide to the Japanese Stage" – with Paul Griffith and Akihiko Senda, Kodansha International, Japan.
- He has translated for "Kabuki Plays on Stage Vol. III – Darkness and Desire" – University of Hawai’i Press.
DVD translations and narrations include –
- "Kabuki Meisaku Shu" – "The Best Selection of Kabuki", published in Japan by Shochiku Home Video/NHK DVD.
- Subtitles for the complete Bunraku performance of Kanadehon Chūshingura – "The Treasury of Loyal Retainers" (with Paul Griffith).
- Kabuki-za Sayonara Kōen – "Farewell to the Kabuki-za – All the Performances", 8 volumes of about 95 DVDs of all the performances given in the 16 months before the demolition of the old Kabuki-za in Tokyo. All the DVDs were translated by Ronald Cavaye and Paul Griffith and narrated by Paul Griffith – published in Japan by Shogakkan.