Roderick Elms studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London which has awarded him an honorary Associateship in recognition of his contribution to the music profession. He appears in concerts, recordings and broadcasts with most of Britain's major orchestras, both as a principal keyboard player and as a soloist. He has broadcast regularly for the BBC for more than thirty years on Radio 3 as well as Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night, and has made many solo recordings with the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Symphony and BBC Concert Orchestras. He also works as a chamber player, having given many broadcasts in this capacity, and for several years he was London pianist to the eminent cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Foreign tours have taken him round most of Europe as well as to South Africa, the United States, Canada, Israel and the Far East.
His solo recordings with the RPO include Hubert Bath's Cornish Rhapsody (with Barry Wordsworth), the Spellbound Concerto and Warsaw Concerto (with José Serebrier) and da Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain (with Nicholas Cleobury). Other solo recordings include Frank Martin's Ballade for Piano and Orchestra with the LPO (with Matthias Bamert) and music of Charles Williams (including The Dream of Olwen) with the BBCCO. In lighter vein, he has also made contributions to albums by José Carreras (Pure Passion) and Tony Henry (Modern Arias). As organist, he has recorded an extensive list for EMI and Chandos which includes all the major oratorios of Elgar and the award-winning recording of Britten's War Requiem with the LSO and Richard Hickox.
Roderick Elms has contributed to many film soundtracks including Aliens, Dangerous Liaisons and the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He caused something of a stir in a 2003 film music Prom concert when, with friend and colleague Alistair Young, he appeared on live television for the solo piano duet part of Malcolm Arnold's The Belles of St Trinian's, dressed in schoolboy uniform complete with cap and catapult!
He is also a busy composer and arranger and he is Composer in Association to the Elgar Chamber Orchestra. His published compositions and arrangements—which range in diversity from solo instrumental to symphonic music—are heard across the UK and North America performed by such ensembles as the RPO, BBCCO, LPO, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, English Chamber, Hallé and Toronto Symphony orchestras.
In addition to his Christmas and festive works, his other compositions are regularly broadcast by the BBC and Classic FM, and much of his instrumental music has been recorded by the RPO conducted by Stephen Bell for the Dutton-Epoch label under the title A Little Fall-ish! This CD includes his popular Concertino for Celeste, Four Seasonal Nocturnes for horn (with Martin Owen as soloist), Cygncopations for cor anglais (with Victoria Walpole) and the Pæan for organ and strings (with organist, Stuart Nicholson). His music for solo piano includes a set of Twelve Astrological Preludes, one for each of the twelve major keys. Other chamber pieces include Burlesca for two horns and piano, and the quirky Funky Fugato for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano. His output also includes choral music for church use and includes the popular anthem The Lord is my Strength and Song (a setting of Psalm 118) and a set of Preces and Responses.
Roderick Elms is married to the pianist Joanna Smith, for whom he has written Paper Dances—a concert piece for piano duet and orchestra which was recorded and broadcast by the BBC in September 2008.
Details of his music can be found at www.masterkeyboards.co.uk.
