World premiere of Meden Agan ('Nothing in Excess'), a remarkable work in three movements, 'Rhetorica' - 'Poetica'- 'Erotica', by Dutch composer Jan Vriend. Performed by British pianist James Lisney in the Kleine Zaal at Amsterdam's prestigious Concertgebouw, this recital opens a serious of concerts featuring other works by Jan Vriend, including JOY, written especially for Lisney's 'cellist daughter, Joy, who makes her debut in Amsterdam on 26th February in music by Chopin and Lutoslawski.

Composed in 2006, Meden Agan is Vriend's first piano work for twenty five years, and "is written with the authority of a composer who really knows the piano......the music shows a love of Debussy, jazz, Messaien, the great Spanish music of Albeniz and Granados......even Gottschalk's Bamboula and Balakirev's Islamey." (James Lisney)

Other concerts in the series include collaborations with soprano Dame Emma Kirkby and violinist Paul Barritt, plus the launch of 'Schubertreise'. Named after Lisney's innovative concerts at London’s South Bank Centre (2001-2004), this extensive recording venture will cover the complete Schubert piano sonatas, set within contrasted programmes of music drawn from a wide range of genres. Volume one features Schubert's Sonata in E, D 157, along with both his variation sets, miscellaneous short pieces from student years, and the youthful sonata of Icelandic composer, Arni Bjornsson.

Further information, including full programmes, here

Tickets can be purchased direct through www.concertgebouw.nl. Apply code MK120226 for discount.

Review of Joy Lisney's debut at St John's, Smith Square

Woodhouse Editions

AMNESTY AT 50

“Individuals can make a difference. But united as Amnesty, we are so much more powerful.”

A concert at St John's Smith Square, central London, given by acclaimed British pianist James Lisney with soprano Lorna Anderson to highlight the fiftieth anniversary of Amnesty International, which exists to promote human rights and works worldwide for the release of prisoners of conscience, to secure fair trials for political prisoners; and seeks an end to torture, extrajudicial executions, ‘disappearances’ and the death penalty.

November 16th
Liszt - 'Harmonies poétiques et religieuses' nos I-IV
Schubert - `An die Musik` - twelve celebrated songs*

Lorna Anderson* - soprano
James Lisney - piano

 

For further information, including links to venue, please visit www.jameslisney.com

 

Donations to Amnesty International can be made at the concerts, or by visiting www.justgiving.com/JAMES-LISNEY

Read my review of the previous 'Amnesty at 50' concert here

 

James Lisney and Lorna Anderson will be on BBC Radio Three's In Tune programme on Monday 14th November

Amnesty at 50

Concert series

“Individuals can make a difference. But united as Amnesty, we are so much more powerful.”

Two concerts at St John's Smith Square, central London, given by acclaimed British pianist James Lisney to highlight the fiftieth anniversary of Amnesty International, which exists to promote human rights and works worldwide for the release of prisoners of conscience, to secure fair trials for political prisoners; and seeks an end to torture, extrajudicial executions, ‘disappearances’ and the death penalty.

For further information, including links to venue, please visit www.jameslisney.com

Donations to Amnesty International can be made at the concerts, or by visiting www.justgiving.com/JAMES-LISNEY

A BOOK OF LISZTS by John Spurling

(Variations on the theme of Franz Liszt)

To be published by Seagull Books in May, 2011

"Six years ago John bought a CD of piano music by Liszt and was fascinated first by the music and then by the composer, whose personal charisma and incomparable skill as a virtuoso pianist made him the 19th-century equivalent of a modern international star.

His innovative music isn’t as well known these days as it deserves to be, but that should change in 2011, the bicentenary of his birth.

This novel tells the story of an extraordinary man in an unusual way. The fifteen self-contained chapters are written in various styles and from various points of view."

As a companion to the book, Chrome Media has produced a CD of readings from John Spurling's book accompanied by a new recording of 15 of Liszt's piano works, performed by prize-winning Hungarian pianist, János Balázs.

Further information, including details on how to order

www.chromemedia.co.uk/stories-from-a-book-of-liszts/

There is a free event at the Hungarian Cultural Centre in London's Covent Garden on 25th May from 7pm, to celebrate the launch of the book, at which Janos Balazs will be performing. Music and readings. For reservations, please call 020 7240 6162, or email bookings@hungary.org.uk.

To read an extract from the book, go to

www.johnspurling.com/liszt_extract.html

Acclaimed British pianist Peter Donohoe performs

the Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas
at The Red Hedgehog
in a series of 8 recitals over 4 consecutive weekends, commencing on 26th March.

“I love the way each sonata seems to point to the next, and the same goes for each of the eight programmes. In fact, we are very lucky that each programme does seem to ‘fit’ – there is no sense in which it seems incomplete, and each programme seems to work independently as well as in sequence."
(Peter Donohoe, interviewed in The Birmingham Post, November 2010)

Calling all young pianists!

Dear Piano Players,
Southbank Centre is marking its 60th birthday in 2011 and we would like to invite young people from around the country to help us celebrate. We are on the lookout for pianists aged 5 to 24 for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform on the Royal Festival Hall stage with superstar pianist Lang Lang. He is searching for young talent to join him on stage at Southbank Centre on Sunday 22 May at 5pm for a massed piano event. Passionate young people (of all abilities) from across the UK are invited to apply. 
See http://langlanginspires.ning.com/ for more information and videos of Lang Lang. 
How to enter: Please send a video (three minutes max) of you playing a piece of your choice on the piano. This can be filmed on a video camera, a webcam or even a camera phone. 
If you are aged 5 to 12 years old. 
You will need to send your video audition to us directly. You will also need to ask a parent or guardian to fill out a consent form (see attached document) to say they agree to you entering this competition. 
  
The completed consent form and video audition will need to be sent using the free file transfer tool wetransfer.com <http://www.wetransfer.com>  (as video files will generally be too large to send via normal email). Please address all entries to langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk <mailto:langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk>  and add your name, address and postcode, email address and contact telephone number in the wetransfer message box so we may contact you if you are selected.  
  
Deadline for entries via file transfer is midnight on 28 February 2011. 
  
If you are 13 to 24 years old. 
Simply join the Lang Lang Inspires website: 
http://langlanginspires.ning.com/ <http://langlanginspires.ning.com/>
 Then go to the 'Videos' page to upload your video audition. Videos must capture you playing a piece of your choice on the piano. This site has been set up specifically to give you a space to add your video entries. 
Videos must clearly show you playing piano and must not be longer than three minutes in length. 
  
Deadline for entries added via Lang Lang Inpires website is midnight on 28 February 2011. 
Lang Lang will view the videos and decide which 100 young people he'd like to join him on stage for this unique Royal Festival Hall concert! 
We will let you know if you've been chosen to participate in this concert by 15 March. You'll be sent music to learn, rehearsal and performance details, and lots of other useful information. 
We want this experience to be open to everyone from all over the country. There may be some support available for those of you travelling from farther afield or if you would be unable to take advantage of this opportunity without some help. Please contact elaine.craig@southbankcentre.co.uk <mailto:elaine.craig@southbankcentre.co.uk>  by 4 April if you would like to request such support. 
We're really looking forward to hearing from you all! 
  
  
For any concerns or questions, please contact langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk <mailto:langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk> 
  
  
  
  

Calling all young pianists!

Dear Piano Players,
Southbank Centre is marking its 60th birthday in 2011 and we would like to invite young people from around the country to help us celebrate. We are on the lookout for pianists aged 5 to 24 for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform on the Royal Festival Hall stage with superstar pianist Lang Lang. He is searching for young talent to join him on stage at Southbank Centre on Sunday 22 May at 5pm for a massed piano event. Passionate young people (of all abilities) from across the UK are invited to apply. 
See http://langlanginspires.ning.com/ for more information and videos of Lang Lang. 
How to enter: Please send a video (three minutes max) of you playing a piece of your choice on the piano. This can be filmed on a video camera, a webcam or even a camera phone. 
If you are aged 5 to 12 years old. 
You will need to send your video audition to us directly. You will also need to ask a parent or guardian to fill out a consent form (see attached document) to say they agree to you entering this competition. 
  
The completed consent form and video audition will need to be sent using the free file transfer tool wetransfer.com <http://www.wetransfer.com>  (as video files will generally be too large to send via normal email). Please address all entries to langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk <mailto:langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk>  and add your name, address and postcode, email address and contact telephone number in the wetransfer message box so we may contact you if you are selected.  
  
Deadline for entries via file transfer is midnight on 28 February 2011. 
  
If you are 13 to 24 years old. 
Simply join the Lang Lang Inspires website: 
http://langlanginspires.ning.com/ <http://langlanginspires.ning.com/>
 Then go to the 'Videos' page to upload your video audition. Videos must capture you playing a piece of your choice on the piano. This site has been set up specifically to give you a space to add your video entries. 
Videos must clearly show you playing piano and must not be longer than three minutes in length. 
  
Deadline for entries added via Lang Lang Inpires website is midnight on 28 February 2011. 
Lang Lang will view the videos and decide which 100 young people he'd like to join him on stage for this unique Royal Festival Hall concert! 
We will let you know if you've been chosen to participate in this concert by 15 March. You'll be sent music to learn, rehearsal and performance details, and lots of other useful information. 
We want this experience to be open to everyone from all over the country. There may be some support available for those of you travelling from farther afield or if you would be unable to take advantage of this opportunity without some help. Please contact elaine.craig@southbankcentre.co.uk <mailto:elaine.craig@southbankcentre.co.uk>  by 4 April if you would like to request such support. 
We're really looking forward to hearing from you all! 
  
  
For any concerns or questions, please contact langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk <mailto:langlanginspires@southbankcentre.co.uk> 
  
  
  
  

My teacher, Penelope Roskell, is holding a one-day intensive workshop for piano teachers discussing methods of teaching all aspects of piano technique.

Course date: Sunday 26th June

Time: 10.30am - 5.00pm

Venue: The Studio, 66 Queen Elizabeth's Walk, Stoke Newington, London N16 5UQ

Cost: £60 (students £40)

Further details: contact Penelope Roskell on 0208 802 6258 or peneloperoskell@blueyonder.co.uk

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Penelope Roskell is an international concert pianist and Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Trinity College of Music. She is also visiting artist at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and has a busy private teaching practice in London. She was Director of the EPTA Piano Pedagogy course from 2000 to 2002. She has a special expertise in the field of piano technique and in dealing with physical tension and injuries, and is the only piano teacher in England to be recognised by the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine. She is a frequent guest speaker on piano technique at conferences and writes a regular column on the subject in Piano Professional magazine. She has also created a DVD on “Yoga for Musicians” and a ground-breaking book, the Art of Piano Fingering, published by London College of Music.  Her courses are inspiring and intensive within a warm and supportive atmosphere.

I attended Penelope's Advanced Piano Course last March and found it incredibly useful, supportive and inspiring. I am sure her piano teaching course will be similarly stimulating and informative.