• Playing

Although he once played the bassoon, viola, cello and doublebass very badly, Adrian Thomas’s main instrument has always been the piano (with a bit of harpsichord and organ thrown in).  Among his favourite moments have been his performances with orchestra (Franck’s Symphonic Variations, Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Piano Concerto no.19 in F major, and Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos).

With the pianist Donal McCrisken, he played Feldman’s Vertical Thoughts II and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster in March 1978.  He has also been a soloist and ensemble player in many performances of contemporary music, including Cage’s complete Sonatas and Interludes (left) for prepared piano.  He has also organised and performed in UK premieres of music by a wide range of Polish composers, including Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Zygmunt Krauze, Boguslaw Schäffer and Witold Szalonek.

He now spends his spare time trying to fit his fingers round stride piano and a newly-acquired Hawaiian leaping flea.