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 »
You can see Alice Sara Ott perform Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ at Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday 12 February, 7.30pm.
Filed under: Royal Festival Hall | Tagged: Alice Sara Ott, classical music, International Piano Series, Mussorgsky, piano, Royal Festival Hall, Schubert, Schumann | Leave a Comment »
Pianist Francesco Piemontesi has garnered a string of accolades that mark him out as a rising star, including his recent BBC Music Magazine Award, presented to him by Alfred Brendel.
“It is most gratifying that in a time when some careers are made with the excessive help of promotion, there is a young pianist with real talent, a pianist of natural poise and grace, of wonderful technical equipment, and of the ability to remind us what beautiful playing means: cantabile playing that is colourful, luminous and harmonious, without in the least lacking tension and atmosphere. I congratulate Francesco Piemontesi very warmly and wish him a wonderful future, and I congratulate the producer for the lovely sound on the record.” Alfred Brendel, speaking at the award ceremony at Kings Place in April.
Watch the award ceremony in full, or jump to 10’29 to watch Francesco Piemontesi performing live at the event:
Francesco Piemontesi makes his International Piano Series debut on Wednesday 7 November, 7.30pm at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Filed under: Misc, Queen Elizabeth Hall | Tagged: classical music, Debussy, Francesco Piemontesi, International Piano Series, Mozart, piano, Schubert | Leave a Comment »
Christian Blackshaw talks in depth about his love of Schumann and Schubert, ahead of his Queen Elizabeth Hall recital next year as part of the International Piano Series.
You can hear Christian Blackshaw perform on 26 February 2013, 7.30pm at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Filed under: Queen Elizabeth Hall | Tagged: Christian Blackshaw, classical music, International Piano Series, piano, Schubert, Schumann | Leave a Comment »
Japanese violin player Mayuko Katumura will perform later this month in the Purcell Room alongside Noriko Kawai on the piano. We caught up with Mayuko ahead of the concert:
You grew up in Japan, but studied in London and have since gone on to perform all over the world. Can you tell us a bit more about your musical background?
My grandfather (my mother’s side) was a great classical music lover and every weekend at the family-get-together since I was a baby, I used to listen to LPs of all the major violin concertos. From this very early introduction to classical music, I have never thought of any other profession than as a violinist.
When I studied at the music high school in Tokyo, I was lucky to have a wonderful violin teacher who studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He recommended I study with Professor Yfrah Neaman at the Guildhall, who was his teacher. So I came to London when I was 19 and studied with Yfrah for 6 years. It must have been difficult for him to talk with me at first as I did not speak English at all then. However, I was surrounded by kind, generous English friends at the Guildhall and I soon got used to all the aspect of living in London
What’s your earliest musical memory?
At my grandparents at the weekends, when my mother was trying to make me have an afternoon nap, she always play the LP of Schubert’s string quartet “ Death and Maiden “. When she let me listen to this, I always knew I was going to be left on my own while everybody else was together in the other room. I was only 2 years old. However, this memory stays very clear in my mind, and I still feel the same loneliness whenever I listen to this quartet!
What are you particularly looking forward to about your forthcoming concert at Southbank Centre?
It is first time for me to perform at the Purcell Room, and I am very excited about it, as ever since I came to England and attended concerts at the Southbank Centre, I was saying to myself that I want to perform in this small and intimate hall in the future.
Is there a piece of music you would pick out as one of the ‘best’ works ever written?
I would say Bach’s Chaconne from the Partita no. 2
What other talent or skill would you like to possess?
I always imagine what would happen if I could speak French and German when I woke up next morning! It took 14 years for me to learn English, so I really wish I had a talent for languages!
If you could programme your ideal Southbank Centre show, which artists (living or dead) would you bring together?
Henryk Szeryng (I am a big fan) presented by Mr. Bean
What is the most played piece of music on your mp3 player or in your CD collection?
Currently it is Henryk Szeryng playing Handel’s Sonata in D. His playing is really heavenly.
Do you have any strange rituals you carry out before or after you perform?
I always stretch out my legs like a Sumo wrestler before wearing my concert dress. This action is called “Matawari “in the Sumo world, and is very important in preparation for the fight!
For more information about the concert and to book your tickets click here
Filed under: Chamber music, Purcell Room | Tagged: George Frideric Handel, Henryk Wieniawski, Japan, Mayuko Katumur, NORIKO KAWAI, piano, Sergey Prokofiev, violin | 1 Comment »
On 26th September, we welcome two extremely talented Japanese musicians, Mayuko Katsumura and Noriko Kawai, to Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room. Violinist Mayuko, a major prize winner in national music competitions in Japan, will be performing alongside Noriko Kawai on the piano.
For a sneak preview of what’s in store, you can listen to this audio clip of Mayuko performing a 2nd movement of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto no.1 with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in March earlier this year.
Listen to Mayuko Katsumura – live at Abbey Road studio.
Click here for more info and to book tickets
Filed under: Purcell Room | Tagged: George Frideric Handel, Henryk Wieniawski, Japan, Japanese, MAYUKO KATSUMURA, NORIKO KAWAI, piano, Sergey Prokofiev, violin | Leave a Comment »
Composer David Braid and pianist Sergei Podobedov will appear together on BBC Radio 3′s InTune programme on June 29th ahead of their forthcoming concert at Southbank Centre. The show starts at 4.30pm that day but will also be available on iplayer.
David will be discussing his recent work and Sergei will be performing ‘Lyrical Toccata’ one of the ‘Three Pieces for Piano’ that feature on David’s new CD with Toccata Classics: ‘Chamber and Instrumental Music’, Please see:
http://bit.ly/LaTRXo
for details of the new disc, which will be released next month.
Sergei will also be performing some movements from Schumann’s Carnaval, which he will perform in full at David Braid’s forthcoming CD launch concert at the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, on Monday 2nd July at 19:45.
We are offering a special offer on tickets for this event – £8 for the best available seats. Simply type the word ‘BRAIDMUSIC’ into the promo-code box on the event page before choosing your seats.
For more information on David Braid and Sergei Podobedov, please see: www.davidbraid.net and
http://www.sergeipodobedov.com
To find out more about the concert, and to book tickets, click here
Filed under: Contemporary Classical, Purcell Room | Tagged: Chamber and Instrumental Music, Classical, Classical Contemporary, classical music, David Braid, piano, Sergei Podobedov, Southbank Centre, Toccata Classics | Leave a Comment »
On 2nd July Southbank Centre welcomes David Braid to the Purcell Room to present his new album of chamber and instrumental music. The evening will include performances from The Erato Piano Trio, pianist Sergei Podobedov and clarinettist Peter Cigleris.
Steve Reich said of David’s work: “ ‘Morning’. Integration of voice with string quartet beautifully done – Very honest stuff”.
We catch up with David ahead of the concert.
What are you particularly looking forward to about your forthcoming concert at Southbank Centre?
It’s been a few years since I had something played here, it will be good to return as I love the atmosphere – it’s very relaxed and ‘human’. As a composer I suppose I should say I’m looking forward to the performance itself. However, it can be rather stressful to be honest, being stuck in the stalls while others play, as it’s out of one’s hands, so I’m looking forward to it being over and getting back to work on my new piece – I much prefer composing to having concerts, although I’m extremely pleased to be having them of course!
Is there a piece of music you would pick out as one of the ‘best’ works ever written?
Well there are the obvious ones by the big three composers, discussed a great deal by others I expect, so I’ll avoid those and say Sibelius’ 5th Symphony – What to say about it though? – too much, it speaks for itself really, but in brief: such unbelievably perfect structure plus its powerful and somehow inevitable geometry across time – music that tells you something/everything about spacetime that cannot be even slightly approached by using language – also his 7th Symphony of course, plus a great number of John Dowland’s lute songs, clearly in the same class as Schubert’s, but a lot closer to home for me; Lutoslawski’s 4th symphony also – transcendent!
What other talent or skill would you like to possess?
Time travel obviously – facing forward of course! I would like to have a chat for a few hours with someone from 15,000-20,000 years in the future (I’d have to bring an army of linguists and philologists with me of course – he/she/it would have to bring historians too so we could understand each other). It would need to be someone who is very well-informed on the then-current scientific, artistic and ethical developments. I would risk blowing a mind-fuse for this.
If you could programme your ideal Southbank Centre show, which artists (living or dead) would you bring together?
I’d get Bach to come and improvise on the organ! If he was busy that day I’d ask Dowland to come and play the lute.
What is the most played piece of music on your mp3 player or in your CD collection?
I only really listen to vinyl these days and I have no mp3 player as I can’t listen to music that much as it distracts from composing, so I never bought one. So, most-played? Glenn Gould’s record of Byrd and Gibbons, (I’ve actually got two copies of this so when the first wears down I have a spare) followed by Beecham’s Sibelius’ 7th (only one copy of this unfortunately – hence its 2nd place).
Do you have any strange rituals you carry out before or after you perform?
I’ve not performed for many years so not as such. However, before a performance of my stuff I tend to worry a lot and drink a couple of beers to be quite honest.
For more info and to book tickets, click here
Filed under: Chamber music, Contemporary Classical, Misc, Purcell Room | Tagged: chamber, chamber music, Clarinet, classical music, contemporary classical, contemporary classical music, David Braid, Instrumental, Peter Cigleris, piano, Purcell Room, Schumann, Sergei Podobedov, shostakovich, The Erato Piano Trio | Leave a Comment »
The German pianist Lars Vogt has been described by Simon Rattle as ‘one of the most extraordinary musicians of any age group that I have had the fortune to be associated with’.
On Tuesday 15 May, 7.30pm at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall you can hear him perform a recital of music by Haydn, Brahms & Chopin, alongside an entertaining work by the acclaimed Austrian composer Thomas Larcher.
Here he reveals a little more of what makes him tick….
What do you fear the most and why?
Inability to do what is important to me.
Which mobile number do you call the most?
My girlfriend Rachel.
What or where is perfection?
In a cold place.
Who is your favourite hero from fiction (book/comic/film/opera) and why?
To name two: Captain Bluebear (hero from a wonderfully witty children´s book by German author Walter Moers) and Papageno for his good-hearted direct link to nature and his instincts, not really caring much about the wisdom of the world. In films I like melancholic anti-heros, like in Cinema Paradiso for example.
What’s your favourite ritual?
Putting my daughter Isabelle to bed and reading her a bedtime story.
What other talent or skill would you like to possess?
Playing the violin, being a good tennis player and being able to ski.
Tell us about a special memory you have of Southbank Centre?
Playing Brahms 1st piano concerto with the Philharmonia during the time when I first met my girlfriend who was the principal viola then.
If you could programme your ideal Southbank Centre show, which artists (living or dead) would you bring together?
The re-united string quartet of Haydn and Dittersdorf (Violins), Mozart (Viola) and Vanhal (Cello).
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Sounds easy and cliché, but can cause major turbulence and is still the most important lesson: Listen to your heart.
What is the most played piece of music on your MP3 player or in your CD collection?
To be honest, and I know this is embarrassing, but what can you do ? Probably some pop song from my childhood, possibly by Billy Joel or Supertramp, as that kind of music is mostly on when I go for a run.
Filed under: Queen Elizabeth Hall | Tagged: classical music, International Piano Series, Lars Vogt, piano, Queen Elizabeth Hall | Leave a Comment »
Southbank Centre welcomes the return of internationally acclaimed pianist Yekaterina Lebedeva, who will be performing in the Purcell Room on 10th May. Yekaterina is well known for her exciting innovative programming which explores ways of linking music with other art forms such as dance, poetry and visual arts. We catch up with her ahead of her forthcoming concert.
What are you particularly looking forward to about your forthcoming performance at Southbank Centre?
I find it a thrilling experience to play at the Purcell Room. It feels particularly special this time because I haven’t played here for a while. I am a real world traveller and have played in some faraway places, but there is nothing like playing in London at the Southbank Centre! I am also very excited because I am going to play music by one of my favourite composers: Alexander Scriabin. He is such an enigmatic composer! A man who thought himself to be God’s messenger to bring people together through art and creativity. A man who believed that music should be experienced with all our senses: vision, smell, touch. Even though I am unable to provide the “full” experience as Scriabin envisaged, there will be something special for people to take away from the concert. There are 2 great enthusiasts of Scriabin that I happen to call friends: the design consultant/artist Paul Bagshawe and the public artist Martin Firrell. Once they heard about this concert, the idea was born to create a piece of art work which will follow Scriabin ideas. So there is a surprise in store for everyone who will come which they will be able to take away with them!
How did you choose the programme and the title of your concert?
I find Soviet composers fascinating. They are the realists of the title, and they had to be in order to survive in those days. They wrote stuff to please the censors on occasion, and yet they managed to describe the true human condition in the oppressive regime they lived in. For example, in Sviridov’s Partita the first movement reminds me of Konchalovsky’s film Runaway Train and similarly here the massive “Soviet Locomotive” arrives nowhere. The hero dies early on, as the 3rd movement is a funeral march. Lastly the triumphant music feels to me like it is written in the style of passacaglia. Prokofiev had to apologise to Stalin for writing “anti-Socialist music” and yet he delivered such a remarkable theme of love in Romeo and Juliet. And of course, Scriabin, at the other end, did not have to deal with the Soviet Regime but he was a mystic – pure escapism from reality.
Is there a piece of music you would pick out as one of the ‘best’ works ever written?
Music is like a vast universe of sounds drawn together. You can find everything in it reflecting every moment in life. It is difficult to speak of the “best” work. There are also different instruments which speak in different voices. My musical love affair goes through stages depending on what else goes on in my life. At the moment I am very involved in Scriabin 3rd piano sonata. It is the last Sonata he wrote in separate movements. It is called “Etats d’âme” which translates as “States of the Soul” and in a way it represents the life’s cycle.
And is there a work that is for you, emotionally, especially important?
For the moment it is the Scriabin Sonata No.3. I particularly love the third movement because I imagine that this is like a real paradise would be or like being in love (which is a beauty of life). It is full of exquisite harmonies and displays a wonderful embroidery of musical lines. I also love the second movement which reminds me of the scene in one of my favourite books – “Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov – when the two lovers were taken by Voland (the devil himself) to the place of rest and peace and they race through the night sky on his horses. The fourth and first movements are exhilarating to play with their sheer burst of energy and life.
What other talent or skill would you like to possess?
I am happy with what I already have. If it was something different, it wouldn’t be me!
If you could programme your ideal Southbank Centre show, which artists (living or dead) would you bring together?
I would love to hear Krystian Zimerman play with Tasmin Little or with Isaac Perelman and hear Radu Lupu play Brahms piano concerto with Furtwängler conducting.
What is the most played piece of music on your mp3 player or in your CD collection?
It is probably piano concerto by Poulenc. It always cheers me up!
Do you have any strange rituals you carry out before or after you perform?
Well, I do not know if this is a strange ritual, but I do try to sleep in the afternoon before the performance. Ancient Greeks who invented siesta, knew what they were talking about!
Click here for more info and to buy tickets to Yekaterina’s concert
Filed under: Purcell Room | Tagged: Georgy Vasilevich Sviridov, piano, Sergey Prokofiev, Soviet, Yekaterina Lebedeva | Leave a Comment »
