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.
Performances
Ronald Cavaye specialised mainly in music of the 20th century but now concentrates on the piano duo repertoire, principally with Valeria Szervánszky. 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 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. Ronald Cavaye is a Steinway Artist.
Master-classes and 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 : Shinchosha, Japan and has written articles for the Edinburgh Festival, the Paris Autumn Festival and The Times newspaper, London.
Kabuki and bunraku
An expert on the kabuki 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.
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.
"Kabuki Meisaku Shu" – "The Best Selection of Kabuki", published in Japan by Shochiku Home Video/NHK DVD.
Subtitles for the complete Bunraku performance of KanadehonChūshingura – "The Treasury of Loyal Retainers".
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.
