Edna Amy Iles (18 May 190529 January 2003) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

classical pianist. Edna Iles was born in

Kings Heath Kings Heath (historically, and still occasionally King's Heath) is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, four miles south of the city centre. Historically in Worcestershire, it is the next suburb south from Moseley on the A435, Alcester road. ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

in 1905. She began her studies in Birmingham with

Appleby Matthews Thomas Appleby Matthews (30 August 1884 – 22 June 1949) was an English conductor and organist. Life and career Matthews was born in Tamworth, Staffordshire and received his musical education at the Birmingham and Midland Institute School ...

, making her debut as soloist with the

City of Birmingham Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performan ...

at age 15 in the

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

E-flat Concerto. She made her

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

recital debut soon afterwards and established a prominent presence throughout Britain and continental Europe during the 1920s and 1930s, giving recitals in many of the leading artistic centres including

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, Stockholm, and

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. Iles broadcast frequently for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

, and appeared as concerto soloist with distinguished conductors including Sir

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

, Sir

Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in Londo ...

, and

Willem Mengelberg Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

. From 1930 Iles became a close friend, protegee and pupil of the Russian composer and pianist

Nikolai Medtner Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (russian: Никола́й Ка́рлович Ме́тнер, ''Nikoláj Kárlovič Métner''; 13 November 1951) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. After a period of comparative obscurity in the 25 years immedi ...

, who branded her "the bravest and ablest besieger of my musical fortresses" and dedicated to her his ''Russian Round Dance'' for two pianos. Edna Iles performed the cycle of three Medtner piano concertos at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in 1946 and, following Medtner's death in 1951, continued to champion his piano music in many recitals and broadcasts in Britain and abroad. She also championed works by

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Switzerland, Swiss-born Americans, American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As ...

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed prol ...

, and

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an England, English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music a ...

, and won praise from leading composers for the technical refinement and structural integrity of her interpretations. Edna Iles recorded her last recital for BBC Radio 3 in 1977 and in 1980 took part in a concert marking the centenary of Medtner's birth. In 2001 she donated her entire library of Medtner material to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docume ...

. It includes detailed notes on all her piano lessons with Medtner, which provide unique information on how the composer taught and wished his music to be interpreted. The archive is the subject of a doctoral thesis. She died in

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe ...

, West Midlands in 2003, aged 97.

References

Obituary, Birmingham Post: February 6, 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iles, Edna Amy English classical pianists English women pianists 1905 births 2003 deaths 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century English women musicians Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists