Mitsuko Uchida talks about the strangeness of Schumann, her piano collection and her interval snack of choice.
You can hear Mitsuko Uchida perform a recital of Schumann, Schoenberg and Bach on Tuesday 15 January 2013, 7.30pm at Royal Festival Hall.
Filed under: Royal Festival Hall | Tagged: Arnold Schoenberg, Bach, International Piano Series, Mitsuko Uchida, piano, Royal Festival Hall, Schumann | 3 Comments »
Pianist Angela Hewitt has played Bach everywhere from Beijing to Bogotá. But she always avoided his final work – thinking it was too tough. On Tuesday 2 October she opens the International Piano Series 2012/13 with the first of two Royal Festival Hall recitals that focus on the composer’s final masterpiece, The Art of Fugue.
In an article in The Guardian on Wednesday 19 September, Angela relives how she overcame fear and major surgery to love The Art of Fugue:
“The first time I managed to play it through at home without stopping, I got goosebumps. Its perfection is such that when I perform it, even the slightest cough feels like a stain on a beautiful canvas. The composer and critic Wilfrid Mellers put it perfectly when he said that, in The Art of Fugue, Bach “plays to God and himself in an empty church”. Few pieces have such simultaneous intimacy and grandeur. By performing and recording it over the next few years, I hope that music-lovers around the world will come to share my state of wonder.”
Listen to our International Piano Series podcast with Angela Hewitt
Angela Hewitt performs the Art of Fugue at the Royal Festival Hall on 2 October and 7 May as part of the International Piano Series 2012/13.
Filed under: Misc | Tagged: Angela Hewitt, Bach, classical music, International Piano Series, Royal Festival Hall, The Art of Fugue | Leave a Comment »
If you thought you knew what orchestras were about, think again. Come and experience an amazing variety of music, spanning Baroque to sampled sounds in the Music Nation weekend.
Hear interviews with Trinity Laban students and Lawrence Cummings Directot of OAE’s The Night Shift.
During the Music Nation weekend, a pulsing urban jungle, created live on stage in Goebbels’ Surrogate Cities; Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer showcase rich orchestral colour; Nu Civilisation Orchestra presents a musical mash-up of jazz and classical; and OAE finish off our weekend celebrations with The Night Shift, a relaxed late-night concert plus DJ!
Filed under: Misc | Tagged: Bach, budapest festival orchestra, classcial, contemporary classical, gigs, Heiner Goebbels, jazz, music, national youth orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, orchestral, Royal Festival Hall, Shell Classic International, surrogate cities, the night shift, the nu civilisation orchestra, trinity laban | 1 Comment »
There are two chances to catch Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt at Southbank Centre. Tomorrow’s International Piano Series recital includes a Bach Partita, Beethoven’s Eroica Variations and Brahms’ Handel Variations. Angela writes:
“My programme pairs two suites of the Baroque period with two of the greatest masterpieces ever written in variation form. It is well known that Beethoven played a lot of Bach as a boy, but perhaps less so that Brahms was greatly attracted to the music of many Baroque composers (including Couperin whose keyboard works he edited in the 1880s). I always wanted to pair a Handel Suite with the mighty Brahms/Handel Variations to show that the connection between the two does not end with the theme. Even Brahms can benefit from a ‘dusting off’ and a fresh look at the score.”
Click here to book.
Then on Monday 4 April she performs concertos by Bach and Mozart with Britten Sinfonia. In this podcast, she talks to Fiona Talkington about how her playing of Bach and Mozart is infused with song and dance, and discusses directing from the piano.
Click here to book.
Filed under: Chamber music, Classical season 10-11, Get to know..., Queen Elizabeth Hall | Tagged: Angela Hewitt, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Britten Sinfonia, Classical, classical music, concerto, Handel, International Piano Series, Mozart, piano, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre | 2 Comments »
James Rhodes known as the classical pianist with a rock-star attitude, but his honey-smooth performing style reveals a soft centre. Come experience an evening of Bach, Beethoven, banter and a whole lot of charm.
Programme includes:
Bach-Marcello Adagio
Beethoven Waldstein Sonata
Bach-Busoni Toccata, Adagio & Fugue
‘Fresh, vital and undeniably exciting.’ (The Observer)
‘Performances of such natural ease and brilliance that no one can resist.’ (The Times)
‘Bursting through the era of political correctness in a haze of Byronic romanticism, James Rhodes, is swiftly making himself a name as the wild man of the keyboard.’ (Classical Music Magazine)
Please note: This video contains a little strong language.
For more information visit http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/classical/tickets/james-rhodes-classy-cow-51583
Filed under: Misc | Tagged: Bach, Banter, Classical, Rock | Leave a Comment »
