Z_OLD_Press
“Inspired by Philip Glass and Steve Reich, his music displays amazing beauty in repetition and minimalism. Definitely a performer to keep your eyes on.” Evening Mail
“composer Rich Batsford combined circling piano melodies and patterns reminiscent of Steve Reich. Each piece brimmed with an inherent sense of poignancy, and there even seemed to be a hint of post-rock in the repeated structures. With most of the material drawn from his album Valentine Court, Batsford created a spectral ambience which made him stand out from other composers. Utterly spell-binding. Birmingham Post
“Soothing, meditative piano music … ripplingly calm.” Brumbeat
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Below is an up to date version of my standard press release. If you click on the image it takes you to a higher resolution page which you can download.
For all enquiries or interviews, please email rich at richbatsford.com
Emails checked regularly!
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Rich Batsford is earning his reputation as one of the most talented emerging composer/performers in the UK today with a collection of solo piano music that has been compared to Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Michael Nyman, Ludovico Einaudi, Brian Eno, Keith Jarrett, George Winston, Claude Debussy and Eric Satie and has won praise from fans of Acoustic, Ambient, Breakbeat, Classical, Experimental, IDM, Indie, New Age and many other genres.
“Each piece brimmed with an inherent sense of poignancy .. created a spectral ambience which made him stand out from other composers. Utterly spell-binding.” Birmingham Post
This music is accessible yet involving, melodic and harmonic, structured and minimalist, contemporary yet timeless. It successfully maintains an overall meditative and almost spiritual tone, but within that framework offers a range of powerful moods and emotions, with moments of stillness and exciting builds towards powerful crescendos. Extensive use of the sustain pedal and warm tonality create ongoing swathes of sound which draw the listener in and transform their experience.
“displays amazing beauty in repetition and minimalism.
Definitely a performer to keep your eyes on.” Evening Mail
A life long vocalist, first singing Church, then classical music (CBSO Chorus) and later fronting Indie guitar bands, Rich has recently returned to song writing producing a series of intense, perceptive and emotive songs of personal reflection which he is performing to great responses in established acoustic evenings and a series of self promoted concerts in a variety of venues.
In his vocal sets Rich will very often feature one or more tracks from his musical hero Brian Wilson. In choosing to perform songs from the album Pet Sounds, Rich offers a rare and exciting chance for music fans to experience live a body of complex and beautiful music that is frequently voted the best album of all time in critics’ polls.
As one of the lead vocalists in ex-chart Beach Boys and Four Seasons group Gidea Park and a skilled pianist and arranger, Rich is uniquely positioned to perform this music live, perhaps second only to Brian Wilson himself and his large touring band.
As a core member and musical co-ordinator of the creative network Project X Presents, Rich has devised and created a remarkable unique “omnimedia experiences” featuring some of his own compositions arranged for forces such as guitar, bass, drums, string quartet, solo cello and vocal samples.
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last update Aug 2007.
