Over the next few months the English Piano Trio will be concentrating on the Russian masters. We continue to perform single composer recitals at The Lantern in Colston Hall, Bristol, and these evenings are presented with well known music journalist Stephen Johnson. Stephen has worked extensively with the BBC and is a familiar voice on Radio 3. The Russian composers in this next season at Colston Hall are Tchaikovsky, Rimsky Korsakov, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov. At concerts around the UK these works will be juxtaposed with masterpieces from the Viennese era. It is challenging to perform the big romantic pieces, and yet wonderful to put them alongside the earlier Viennese composers.
At the beginning of a new season I like to look back and decide what concert/ or particular piece gave me remains most in my memory from the previous twelve months. Surprisingly the concert was a charity event at St Alfeges in Greenwich, early in 2016. Maybe it was because there had been so work put into it by the administrators for the local homeless charity the ‘999 club’, and also the amazing people who run this enterprise. However, the atmosphere was unlike that of a more conventional concert. The audience had a commitment to the cause, and perhaps many were not regular concert goers. It was a thoroughly inspiring event with a feeling of community. It is a privilege to be able to fund raise by performing. Sadly it is not always possible with financial implications, but if the organisers can find a sponsor for the performers, it makes a great evening.
And the favourite piece for last season – surprisingly it was with the addition of a viola! Mahler’s piano quartet movement in A minor. If you do not know it, do listen and think of adding it to a concert programme!
We look forward to this 2016/17 season.