Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva’s second annual London Piano Festival includes two world premieres

by Elena Langer and Kevin Volans

Kings Place, London Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 October 2017

full programme below

“This piano day was altogether exemplary” Sunday Times | October 2016

Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva announce a Russian-themed programme for the second annual London Piano Festival, which runs from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 October at Kings Place, London. The stunning line-up of pianist’s include Nelson Goerner, Ilya Itin, Lisa Smirnova, Jason Rebello, Danny Driver and Melvyn Tan. Co-Artistic Directors Owen and Apekisheva have commissioned Russian-born British composer Elena Langer to compose a new work and they perform her Kandinsky during the Two-Piano Marathon on 7 October. Melvyn Tan gives the world premiere of a new composition by Kevin Volans. The Festival links all aspects of the piano together, from traditional recitals to a family concert and jazz-fusion. The inaugural festival last year was met with critical acclaim and enthusiasm from audiences in particular for the spirited Two-Piano Marathon, which saw multiple pianists grouping in different configurations with colleagues. “This year’s concerts promise to build upon the excitement of the previous festival with many more superb artists, all of whom will perform music with which they feel a special affinity” Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva, co-Artistic Directors On the opening night Charles Owen performs music by Brahms, Schumann-Liszt, Liszt and Wagner-Liszt, and Katya Apekisheva performs Tchaikovsky and Weinberg, followed by a second-half duo recital of Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances.

On Friday 6 October, Argentine pianist Nelson Goerner will give a solo recital of Chopin, Albéniz and Liszt. Goerner states that “Chopin is one of the

closest composers to my heart […] he played an important role in my destiny as a musician”. As a contrast, Goerner has chosen to pair the Chopin Nocturnes with music by Albéniz and Liszt. To kick off Saturday’s daytime, bite-size recitals, Austrian-Russian pianist Lisa Smirnova brings a programme of Scarlatti, Mozart and Handel to Kings Place at 11:30am. Smirnova has chosen repertoire by Scarlatti and Handel, who she described as “two of the most amazing keyboard virtuosos of their time” and pairs them with her favourite composer, Mozart. Melvyn Tan’s afternoon recital on 7 October is centered around the world premiere of South-African composer Kevin Volans’ L’Africaine. Tan explains that the piece “will spike the listener with vigorous rhythms and chants from the Continent”. Tan has paired the premiere with Weber’s Invitation to the Dance and Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales and Miroirs. Described by the New York Times as “a brilliantly insightful pianist”, Russian pianist Ilya Itin has put together a programme of Schubert and Rachmaninoff for his afternoon recital. As Itin states “there is an unusually grand scope and great sense of a journey into uncharted territory for both composers”, which he feels will be both challenging and rewarding for the audience. Itin won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1996. For the Two-Piano Marathon, Saturday recitalists come together with Owen, Apekisheva and Danny Driver for an evening of duets in different combinations. With a programme of John Adams, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Schumann, Shostakovich, Lutoslawski and the world premiere of Kandinsky by Elena Langer, the evening promises to be very special for both performers and audience alike. Kandinsky is inspired by a selection of Kandinsky paintings to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution (8 March – 7 November 1917). This follows last year’s commission of Nico Muhly’s Fast Patterns (watch here). The Telegraph stated that last year’s Two Piano Marathon was “a reminder of what a fabulous variety of sound can be conjured from two pianos”. Elena Langer wrote that “Katya and Charles asked me to write a short piece for their Festival. They wanted something connected to the 1917 Revolution. I was looking at pictures by Wassily Kandinsky from the same year: colourful, bold works which are very Russian, but also strange and unique. None of them actually depicts the Revolution, as if it weren't happening! I would like my piano piece to achieve something similar in spirit.” Owen and Apekisheva want the Festival to appeal to piano lovers of all ages. Following the success of last year’s family concert with Noriko Ogawa, Owen, Apekshieva and Driver present a children’s programme of Poulenc’s Babar the Elephant and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, narrated by actor Simon Callow (subject to availability). The Festival finishes with a performance by jazz-fusion artist Jason Rebello. Rebello has explained “I like to think that when you come to hear me play, you come on a journey with me and we both arrive at a joyful place together”. He will perform material from his recent album ‘Held’ which won the Best British Jazz Album award in 2016, in addition to music from Sting to Errol Garner and beyond.

Critics’ response to inaugural London Piano Festival in 2016 ★★★★★ “A reminder of what a fabulous variety of sound can be conjured from two pianos” Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph ★★★★★ “A remarkable evening of exceptionally fine pianism and inventive programming, hugely enjoyable and highly engaging” Frances Wilson, Bachtrack “This piano day was altogether exemplary” Paul Driver, The Sunday Times Full programme 5 Oct | KP Hall One | 7:30pm Charles Owen Katya Apekisheva Brahms 2 Rhapsodies, Op 79 Schumann-Liszt ‘Widmung' Liszt 'Au bord d’une source' Wagner-Liszt Liebestod Charles Owen Tchaikovsky 3 Pieces from “The Seasons” - October, November, December Weinberg Sonata No 2, 1942 Katya Apekisheva Rachmaninoff Suite No 2 Borodin Polovtsian Dances Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva 6 Oct | KP Hall One | 7:30pm Nelson Goerner Chopin 2 Nocturnes - Op 27 No 1, Op 48 No 2 Chopin Sonata No 3; Op 58 Albéniz 3 movements from Iberia - Evocación, El Puerto, Triana Liszt Spanish Rhapsody 7 Oct | KP Hall One | 11:30am Lisa Smirnova Scarlatti Five Sonatas Mozart Duport Variations, K 573 Mozart Fantasy in D Minor, K 397 Handel Suite in G Minor, HWV 432

7 Oct | KP Hall One | 2:00pm Melvyn Tan Weber Invitation to the Dance, Op 65 Ravel Valses Nobles and Sentimentales Kevin Volans L’Africaine (World Premiere) Ravel Miroirs 7 Oct | KP Hall One | 4:00pm Ilya Itin Schubert Sonata in D, D 850 Rachmaninoff Sonata No 1 in D Minor, Op 28 7 Oct | KP Hall One | 7:30pm Two Piano Marathon Melvyn Tan | Lisa Smirnova | Ilya Itin | Charles Owen | Katya Apekisheva | Danny Driver John Adams Hallelujah Junction Mozart Sonata in D Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances Ravel Introduction and Allegro Elena Langer Kandinsky (London Piano Festival Commission - World Premiere) Schumann Andante & Variations Shostakovich Concertino Lutoslawski Paganini Variations

8 Oct | KP Hall One | 11am Family Concert

Katya Apekisheva | Charles Owen | Danny Driver | Simon

Callow (Subject to availability) Poulenc Babar the Elephant

Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf 8 Oct | KP Hall One | 1:30pm Jason Rebello

Charles Owen

Described by Gramophone magazine as “one of the finest British pianists of his generation”, Charles Owen has enjoyed an extensive international career performing a wide ranging repertoire to outstanding critical acclaim. He has appeared at London’s Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall and regularly gives recitals at the Wigmore Hall. Internationally, he has performed at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Brahms Saal in Vienna’s Musikverein, the Paris Musée d'Orsay, and the Moscow Conservatoire. His chamber music partners include Julian Rachlin, Chloe Hanslip, Augustin Hadelich and Nicholas Daniel as well as the Vertavo, Takacs, Sacconi and Elias Quartets. He also enjoys a highly successful piano duo partnership with Katya Apekisheva. Together they are Artistic Directors of the London

Piano Festival, an annual celebration of the piano held at Kings Place. Charles studied in London at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music with Irina Zaritskaya and Imogen Cooper. His numerous awards include the Silver Medal at the Scottish International Piano Competition (1995) and the 1997 Parkhouse Award withviolinist Katharine Gowers. A regular guest at festivals such as Aldeburgh,Bath, Cheltenham, Leicester and Perth in Australia, he has also performed with the Philharmonia, Royal Scottish National and London Philharmonic orchestras. Charles’ solo recordings comprise discs of piano music by JS Bach - The Six Partitas - Janácek, Poulenc and the complete Nocturnes and Barcarolles by Fauré. Chamber music discs include the cello sonatas of Brahms,Rachmaninov and Chopin with Natalie Clein and the Stravinsky Piano Ballets with Katya Apekisheva. Charles Owen is a Professor of Piano at the Guildhall School in London and has recently been appointed Steinway & Sons UK Ambassador.

Katya Apekisheva Katya Apekisheva is one of Europe’s most renowned pianists, in demand internationally as both a soloist and as a chamber musician. Since becoming a prize-winner in the Leeds International and Scottish Piano Competitions and collating awards such as the London Philharmonic ‘Soloist of the Year’ and the Terence Judd Award she has been marked out as a pianist of exceptional gifts, performing with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London

Philharmonic, The Philharmonia, the Halle Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra

and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, working with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, David Shallon, Jan Latham-Koenig and Alexander Lazarev. As a recording artist, Katya has received widespread critical acclaim for her interpretations. Her recording of Grieg solo piano works in 2008 (Quartz) was chosen by Classic FM as CD of the week and selected by Gramophone Magazine as Editor’s Choice, further receiving a ‘Rising Star Award’ in International Piano Magazine and becoming Critics’ choice 2008 in Gramophone magazine. In 2012 Katya released a CD of works by Mussorgsky and Shostakovich (Onyx) and has also collaborated on several recordings with violinist Jack Liebeck including a Classical Brit winning CD of works by Dvořák and more recently a disc of Kreisler arrangements for Hyperion. In 2016 Katya released a CD of Stravinsky’s piano ballets with her duo partner Charles Owen. This seasons highlights include concerto debuts in Poland with Jerzy Maksimiuk (Bialystok and Sczecin Philharmonic orchestras), solo and chamber music concerts at major venues and festivals. Katya is Co-Artistic-Director of the London Piano Festival which returns for its second season in October 2017. Katya is releasing a new CD of Scriabin, Faure and Chopin impromptus on the Champs Hill label in Autumn 2017. Katya is a Professor of Piano at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

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