Monthly Archives: October 2020

HASTINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO CONCERTO COMPETITION ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ICONIC PIANO MAKER STEINWAY & SONS AND RESCHEDULED COMPETITION DATES

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Hastings International Piano, the charity responsible for the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition and the Hastings International Piano Festival is delighted to announce a new partnership with iconic piano maker Steinway & Sons for the 2021 Concerto Competition in the historic town on England’s South Coast.

The Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition is an internationally renowned biennial competition for young concert pianists from around the world, attracting 170 applicants in 2019 from across the globe, 40 of which came to compete in Hastings during February and March. Their prize: the opportunity to perform with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a two-night final and to win a first prize of £15,000.

The next competition dates are now confirmed to be the 17th – 26th June 2021 with successful entrants being selected from video auditions by a panel appointed by our President of the Jury Professor Vanessa Latarche, who is Head of Keyboard at The Royal College of Music in London.

Professor Latarche joined the competition team earlier this year to curate the 2021 competition, oversee the audition process, as well as to preside over the international jury who she has invited to join her in Hastings next summer.

Professor Vanessa Latarche says – “I am delighted that we have managed to re-schedule the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition to June 2021. So many of the world’s musicians have had disappointment due to cancellations of events since Covid-19 began. Although they have become very adept at finding other ways of working, especially by video and streaming through social media, nothing replaces the thrill of live performance both for the artists, and the audience. The competition will provide a beacon of light for these young pianists to work towards, performing live, both solo and with orchestras to our audiences and my distinguished jury colleagues. I am thrilled to be working with Ian Roberts and the competition team to give the musicians these opportunities, and I look forward very much to welcoming them to Hastings, and to hearing them play in person in the summer.”

 

Managing Director of Hastings International Piano Ian Roberts says – “We are delighted that we have the opportunity to work closely with our esteemed colleagues and friends at Steinway and Sons in the lead up to and during our 2021 competition. Moving our competition dates to June 2021 enables us to provide a safe and secure platform for our young pianists to compete on, whilst protecting our audiences and family of volunteers, who give us their un-wavering support during each competition. During the June edition of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, we will provide enhanced performance opportunities for our pianists, including orchestral opportunities in both the semi-final and final rounds. Our partnership with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra continues in 2021 and we look forward to announcing further news about our exciting competition changes in the coming weeks.”

Hastings International Piano is delighted to also announce today that our new media sponsor for the next competition is International Piano Magazine, a perfect partner for our competition offering a rich mix of inspiration and guidance to pianists and piano fans around the world, from dedicated amateurs and students to professional pianists, teachers and aficionados.

The next edition of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition takes place in the cultural hub of Hastings, on England’s historic south coast from the 17th-26th June of 2021.

 

Oxford Lieder Festival: Elias Ashmole and the Ashmolean Museum

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The only pre-recorded event in this year’s Oxford Lieder Festival, this film has three “leads”: the ever magnificent Ashmolean Museum, the glorious Kirkman double manual harpsichord (1772) played by Julian Perkins and the claret-rich voice of soprano, Anna Cavaliero.  Then there’s Xa Strugis, director of the Ashmolean who tells us the history of the museum and its collections along with thoughts about how it will develop in the future. It makes for an interesting, well thought out and compelling hour.

The Ashmolean is a collection of collections. The original one was assembled by the Tradescants,  seventeenth century gardeners, with connections in high places, who travelled the world. Elias Ashmole acquired the collection and gave it to the University of Oxford where it opened in a purpose built building in Broad Street in 1683 – a place of art, science, experiment and research. Unprecedentedly and shockingly (to some) it was open to the public from the start.

Since them it has acquired many more collections – through gifts, legacies and purchases –  including the Hill Family’s collection of early stringed instruments. The Ashmolean Museum moved to its current building in the mid nineteenth century.  Today it is working hard at engaging new audiences to tell new stories and at ways of widening its traditionally Eurocentric focus. Sturgis acknowledges that while Asia and North Africa are represented sub-Saharan Africa and Oceana are not and that has to be remedied.

The recital aspect of this enjoyable offering took us from Barbara Strozzi to Haydn who would, Perkins tells us,  have been very familiar with harpsichords of this type. Along the route are songs by Purcell, John Blow, John Eccles and others. The setting is atmospheric with Van Eyck’s Woman and the Bacon Cup behind Perkins and a large canvas depicting a classical scene behind Cavaliero. The room they’re in has a warm, resonant acoustic too.

Strozzi’s L’Eraclito amoroso is sung without pyrotechnics but with plenty of passion, packed in by Cavaliero who is no mean actor. The televisual closeness means that she’s very exposed but she rises to the challenge with aplomb.

She finds some lovely bottom notes in Haydn’s The Spirit Song too and she makes his Das leben is ein traum feel light and charming. Meanwhile Perkins ensures that every song is an elegant duet – and it’s fun to hear him subtly adjusting the dynamics by using the flaps over the strings which are operated with a pedal.

CDs / DVDs / Blue-ray September 2020

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Puccini: Suor Angelica
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Valerio Galli
DYNAMIC 57873 Blue-ray

This the third part of last year’s Florence production by Denis Krief, and certainly lives up to the promise of the splendid Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi. Unfortunately the opening is not very impressive. Though the stark setting works well, the large number of nuns, many of them not seeming to know what to do, look more like a G&S chorus than the sheltered but secretive body the music implies. However, once the narrative gets going it picks up very quickly. Maria Jose Siri is a totally convincing Angelica, a mixture of naivety and inner strength. Her scene with the icily vicious princess, wonderfully sung by Anna Maria Chiuri, is uncomfortably convincing. Left alone, Angelica is devastated by the news of the loss of her son, but realises, as he is in heaven so could she be. Her suicide quickly follows and for a moment she is torn by doubt that this might be a mortal sin but the final scenes seals this wonderfully. Where the ending can too often seem sentimental, here as she lies dying, a seven year old boy appears, unsmiling, but holding out his hand to her. She reaches out and the opera end. It is so simple yet so effective.

Juan Diego Florez: Mozart
Orchestra La Scintilla, Riccardo Minasi
C MAJOR 754904 Blue-ray

Juan Diego Florez gave this concert in the Cuvillies Theatre in Munich where the intimacy of the venue makes it seem like a concert for friends. Casually dressed, he needless to say sings an all Mozart programme magnificently. All the expected favourites are there, and the orchestra La Scintilla under Riccardo Minasi, playing original instruments, add a number of overtures to break up the arias. In most cases arias follow logically from the overture. The oddity is Figaro until one recalls there is not major tenor aria in Figaro. A highly enjoyable and often quite light-hearted occasion.

 

Henze:  Der Prinz von Homburg
Stuttgart Opera, Cornelius Meister
NAXOS NBD0115V Blue-ray

This 2019 production from Stuttgart, by Stephan Kimmig is in modern dress and uncomfortably relevant. With the rise of so many far-right groups, and the sense that law is something that can too easily be ignored if you have the power to do so, the parallels sit uncomfortably. That ostensibly it has a happy ending does not help the listener to reconcile himself with the reality of the world reflected in the opera as a whole. Cornelius Meister handles the large number of moods and changes of style in Henze’s score with skill and the large cast impress with their obvious understanding of a work which is rarely staged.

Beethoven: Variations
Angela Hewitt, piano
HYPERION CDA 68346

Is there anything Angela Hewitt can’t do? This is a fine collection of seven sets of variations by Beethoven ranging from the familiar sets on God save the King and Rule Britannia to Quant’e piu bello and Nel cor piu non mi sento neither of which I knew. If the more extended variations on Eroica form the heart of collections there is nothing either side to suggest the other works are lesser pieces.

Cesti: La Dori
Academia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone
CPO 555 309-2

Cesti’s opera La Dori was a huge success when first staged in 1657, and had been seen in over 30 productions by 1689. Cesti’s innovation to the art form was the introduction and gradual shaping of the aria. Where most early operas relied on recitative or arioso, Cesti introduces arias which we would recognise as such today. While historically interesting, does it make this 2019 staging worth listening to? Yes certainly, particularly if you are familiar with Monteverdi and Cavalli to give you a starting point. If nothing else the score is engaging throughout.

Emilie Mayer: Symphonies 1 & 2
NDR Radiophilharmonie, Leo McFall
CPO 555 293-2

I knew nothing about Emilie Mayer before I listened to this new recording of her first two symphonies and was really delighted by them. While certainly late romantic there is no obvious comparison with other composers of the period. I must admit to indulging in their warmth and the sense that this is a genuine and quite distinctive voice yet firmly within the romantic framework which is so familiar. If, like me, you know nothing of her, then do give this a try.

Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier – Vol2
Steven Devine, harpsichord
RESONUS RES 10261

One of the troubles with Bach is that it is almost impossible to make a bad recording. Occasionally artists turn out dull performances but even this is rare. Steven Devine’s new recording of the second part of the Wohltemperierte Klavier is certainly as impressive as his finely crafted and often technically suave first set, and beyond that it is difficult to know what to add. My only real problem, these days, is that I have quite a large number of fine recordings of the Wohltemperierte Klavier  and I never know which to choose!

Niels Gade: Chamber Works Vol5
Ensemble MidtVest
CPO 555 199-2

This latest collection includes the Fantasy Pieces Op 43 for clarinet and piano, the string quartet Op63 in D major and the string quintet Op8 in E minor. The Fantasy Pieces date from 1864 and are elegantly effective. The often revised Quartet Op63 is a more substantial work whereas the earlier Op8, dating from the composer’s time in Leipzig, shows the continuing influence on him of national romanticism.

J S Bach:
Cello Suites – arranged for solo piano
Eleonor Bindman, piano
GRAND PIANO GP847-48
Cello Suites –vol2 – arranged for guitar
Jeffrey McFadden, guitar
NAXOS 8.573626

There is certainly an interesting comparison here. I had thoroughly enjoyed Jeffrey McFadden’s own arrangements of the first three suites and these are certainly as good. Knowing the originals very well and having quite a number of different versions, these  arrangements for guitar seem to move away very little from the heart of the originals. I can listen with as much ease as I do to them and every so often pick up a nuance which I had missed when heard on the cello.

Eleonor Bindman’s arrangements for piano are very different. One is immediately aware that there is little connection between the sound world of the cello (which the intimacy of the guitar can match) and that of the piano. While there is nothing obviously wrong with transcribing for the piano, the outcome is of an entirely different oral world which either appeals or does not. Much as I appreciate the skill of the performance this is not how I prefer to listen to the Cello Suites. I am sure others will disagree. I underlying reality is that Bach’s genius is never compromised.

 

Robert Matthew Walker: Concertante on a Theme of Paganini for piano and double string orchestra Opus 168 (2020)

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On Wednesday October 21st at St John’s Smith Square at 1.00pm Mark Bebbington with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jan Latham- Koenig will give the world premiere of a new work of mine:

I completed this work in May of this year.  It is based on Paganini’s 24th Caprice and is a substantial piece (about 26-28 minutes) in one movement; It is largely intended as a divertimento-like work in four continuous sections. The piano writing is quite brilliant and virtuosic at times as well as containing light and popular elements alongside more serious an  contemplative sections.

The Concertante is to be recorded very soon by these forces for the SOMM label, and although the Government’s distancing regulations require the string strength to be reduced, I am convinced that the fine acoustics of St Johns, plus the excellence of the RPO players will do the work justice. Mark Bebbington is of course a superb pianist; he commissioned the Concertante which is dedicated to him. I am flattered that the admirable musician Jan Latham-Koenig will be conducting.

The programme is the British part of a French-UK pair of concerts – the first all-French is this coming Friday, October 2, mainly Poulenc, including the Aubade with the RPO  under Jan Latham-Koenig. The programme on the 21st also contains  Finzi’s profound Eclogue for piano and string orchestra and Doreen Carwithen’s admirable 1948 Concerto for the same forces of course. My new work comes in the middle.