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Pianists and co-Artistic Directors Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen reveal another exquisite line-up for the seventh London Piano Festival (LPF) which returns to Kings Place from 6-9 October 2022. Four days of classical and jazz piano performances will see Festival debuts from star soloist Tamara Stefanovich, jazz sensation Vijay Iyer and rising star Dominic Degavino, in addition to Dame Imogen Cooper who has been a Patron of the London Piano Festival since its launch in 2016. Returning artists include Noriko Ogawa and Paul Roberts, as well as the Festival’s Artistic Directors Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen. Under 30s tickets are available for all concerts at a reduced price of £8.50. The Festival is delighted to be working with International Piano magazine as media partner for the seventh year running.

Co-Artistic Directors Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen commented, “We are delighted to present the seventh edition of exciting piano-themed concerts featuring an exceptional line-up of pianists in the welcoming setting of Kings Place. The recent return to unrestricted live music-making, complete with extra appreciative audiences has been energising for performers around the world. This year there will be a particular focus on the joys of musical collaboration between pianist friends, a sharing and exchange of ideas. Nothing can ever quite reproduce the visceral impact of a live event, the sheer thrill of experiencing music in real time.”

Visionary pianist Tamara Stefanovich opens this year’s Festival with a programme exploring form and freedom, beginning with Bach’s Aria variata (BWV 989) interweaving the birdsong-inspired pieces of Messiaen and Rameau, and ending with Messaien’s mesmerising Cantéyodjayâ [6 Oct].Piano duets have been performed at the London Piano Festival every year since it launched in 2016, helping to introduce audiences to new works whilst also celebrating rarely-performed masterpieces. This year Dame Imogen Cooper is joined by Katya Apekisheva, Charles Owen and Dominic Degavino, pianists who have all benefitted from her skill and unique insights through masterclasses and teaching sessions over the years, for an evening of piano duets. The four pianists will take to the stage in different pairings to perform Schubert’s piano duets whilst recreating the atmosphere of an intimate social gathering [7 Oct].Katya Apekisheva and Noriko Ogawa explore contrasting 20th-century preludes in their afternoon recital [8 Oct]. Apekisheva will perform Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes, a collection of short pieces in all twenty-four keys, taking the audience through a diverse assortment of moods across the complete set. By contrast, Ogawa will play Debussy’s 12 Préludes, Book I, an imaginative collection which doesn’t follow any strict harmonic template.Later that evening award-winning jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer will perform a solo improvised set [8 Oct]. Known for performing internationally with ensembles and his own trio, this special evening of solo jazz improvisation will be a rare treat for London audiences.To celebrate the launch of his new book, concert pianist and lecturer Paul Roberts returns to the Festival to present a lecture-recital with Charles Owen celebrating Liszt’s passionate response to the poetry of Francesco Petrarca [9 Oct]. Roberts’ new book – Reading Franz Liszt – explores the inspiration Liszt drew from the poetry of Francisco Petrarca (1304-74), revealing the link between two major artists born 500 years apart.The London Piano Festival was founded by pianists Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen in 2016 and takes place every October at Kings Place, London. Previous visiting artists have included Alfred Brendel, Alexandra Dariescu, Julian Joseph, Gabriela Montero, Stephen Kovacevich, Jason Rebello and Kathryn Stott, amongst many others. The Festival has also commissioned a number of new works for two piano, working with composers including Sally Beamish, Jonathan Dove, Elena Langer and Nico Muhly.

Full details atwww.londonpianofestival.comAll concerts take place at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG

www.kingsplace.co.uk

[Source: press release]

Vijay Iyer
Paul Roberts
Noriko Ogawa
Katy Apekisheva
Dame Imogen Cooper
Tamara Stefanovich Photo: Marco Borggreve
Charles Owen
Dominic Degavino

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A post for World Piano Day 2022 on why we LOVE the piano – a compilation of comments received via Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you to everyone who contributed

It’s complete. Since I was a child it’s been the place I go to relax. I’m not a pianist but I can play and it makes me extremely happy. During the first lockdown singing made me sad for all we were missing (especially my co-musicians). I found solace at the piano. (CS, singer)

The colours produced by harmonies in even the simplest pieces. I was teaching a piece from a tutor book to young beginners this week and as soon as they added the LH to produce 3 and 4 note chords something magical happened. (MJ)

The touch of the keys, the sound, the huge variation in textures, the colour of the wood, the space where it sits…..and the fact the whole family have access to it! (RN)

The ability to thunder away one minute then tug at your heart the next with soft, quiet subtlety (T)

Photo by Itay Weissman on Pexels.com

The possibilities I have to play like a whole orchestra, but also very simplistic and moving melodies. The dynamics and the tone forming. Being a one (wo)man player or a chamber musician, working with a singer or giant orchestra… so many things to love about my piano. (FK)

you can see what you’re doing… (TC, composer)

The combination of intuition and control. (EMcK)

You never have to bring it with you. Wherever you go, it’s there. If it isn’t there, you’re in the wrong place. (RN)

Not having to get it out of a box (HW, composer & pianist)

Duration and decay (Kirkdale Bookshop)

A musical instrument and dinner table! (A)

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

I like the fact it’s (often) a place as well as an instrument. The room gathers memories, which enrich the music making. I like how you can see all the notes physically even when silent. But most of all I love the sound. Just playing a big C major arpeggio is, to me, a joy. (JD)

It’s mindfulness, it’s meditation, it’s calm. And when headphones are involved it provides a much needed solitude, as I escape into its world. As I mainly improvise, it’s a crafting table, that gives life to new music. I love the tactile connection. The piano is home. (JW)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways: the sound of a singing treble with the sostenuto pedal, the richness of full chords and the power one feels as they sound, the immense satisfaction of feeling & hearing the clangourous sounds… and so much more! My beloved instrument. (BC)

Photo by Dalila Dalprat on Pexels.com

The amount of opportunity it has to offer, the range and the versatility (ID)

I love the feel of the keys! They are my friends! (BO’R)

…as a medium, the piano is its own self sufficient universe. I don’t think any other solo artistic activity can boast the same level of storytelling or emotional exploration as well as refined pianism does (ES)

The variety of tone colours at your disposal, ability with sustain pedal to play so many notes at once, you almost have the whole orchestra in front of you. As a child I was mesmerised by being able to ‘see’ all the notes at once and wonder about their possibilities, I loved exploring and finding the scales by ear by noting the order of keys and shapes and patterns your hand made, the similarities and differences. (RR)

Liszt’s Bosendorfer piano at the Franz Liszt Museum in Budapest

Underneath a grand piano there are all sorts of secret hiding places for valuables (watches, jewellery, money, etc). No other instrument offers this possibility. Imagine trying to stuff a Rolex inside a piccolo or viola? That’s what I love about the piano. I also love the fact that the notes are all there- all you need to do is play them in the right order (takes a bit of skill grant you). A more serious answer – the piano is a glorious instrument of ‘make believe’. It forces the imagination into overdrive – we ‘think’ we’re hearing something which is not happening. Its defects are, paradoxically its virtues.  (JH)

The ability to use so many of one’s senses. I like the fairness factor of piano: you put in a hard work, you get the results. You don’t, it shows too. In life it is not always as fair as that. (JM)

The SOUND. I just bloody love the sound of the thing. Why would anybody want to play another instrument?! (MV)

All of the little tiny parts of the action like a bird skeleton, with their daft names (DG)

The immediate visual appeal it has without even being played; the fact that a mechanical machine that needs no electricity is capable of (in competent hands) making music that elicits emotions in such a profound way. There is nothing as deliciously decadent as a dusty, old upright sitting in a forgotten corner, waiting to be played. And the majestic presence of a grand that is always begging to give all its rich harmonies. The piano can be the best friend and the worst enemy because it seduces you but enslaves you as you try to get more and more depth and richness from it. The piano reveals one’s inner struggles like no other instrument does (MAdB)

The sense of freedom from the world when playing it (JK)

Every time you play at a concert you will meet a new instrument. I love the whole experience of getting to know the instrument and trying to get the best out of it. They are all so unique and it can be so rewarding (WH)

Someone recently asked me “what do you like to play”? Usually people just ask “what do you play.” It was a reminder for me to never forget the “like” and “love” origins of my work, especially during difficult practice days or performances that don’t quite go to plan. (SE)

a deep connection with musicians of the past and the now makes the piano and piano music so life-affirming (AH)

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World Piano Day, an annual worldwide event founded by a group of likeminded people, takes place on the 88th day of the year (29th March this year), because of the number of keys on the instrument being celebrated.

This playlist mostly comprises music I’ve learnt or am learning/revisiting, or that I simply like. I’ve made it collaborative so that others can contribute and between us we can celebrate World Piano Day, the wondrous instrument that is the piano, and its enormous breadth of repertoire

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hikikomori! is a new opera by young composer Zygmund (Zyggy) de Somogyi.

The work was commissioned by Nigel and Sue masters of  not-for-profit opera production group Opera in Oborne (Oborne is a small village outside Sherborne in Dorset and the venue for the performances), and supported by Cameratina, a group of classical music enthusiasts who co-fund small-scale operas and recitals.

Zyggy was commissioned to write a piece that was ‘of our time’; he chose Hikikomori, the modern Japanese phenomenon in which people withdraw completely from all society for years at a time as the inspiration for his new opera.

I caught up with Zyggy to find out more about the background to hikikomori! and his creative impulses for the work:

What were your musical and other influence/inspirations for this work?

Musically, hikikomori! straddles the barriers between a wide range of styles. One thing that draws me to the opera is the aspect of timelessness that telling a story through the medium provides: two operas that greatly inspired the musicality of hikikomori! are George Benjamin’s Written On Skin and Kaija Sariaaho’s Innocence, which both craft narratives that simultaneously feel both incredibly contemporary and incredibly timeless. I also took inspiration from the story beats of psychological horror films such as Psycho and mother! (which the title of the opera pays homage to.)

Stylistically, the opera inhabits a post-tonal sound world, with hints of jazz harmony and sparse elements of new-tonalism throughout (including a juxtaposition near the opera’s finale.) However, for myself — in the same manner of the unconventional nature of a libretto adapted from a video game — the musical inspiration for hikikomori! stemmed less from the tropes of contemporary opera, and more from the emo and alternative rock records I grew up listening to. I hope that people who feel nostalgic for bands like My Chemical Romance and Funeral for a Friend, or are fans of bands such as Creeper, Bring Me The Horizon, and Havelocke, will get a lot from this opera — just as those who are interested in contemporary classical music.

Tell us more about the subject matter and choice of the Japanese word Hikikomori as a title for the work….

The word “hikikomori” derives from the Japanese word for a social phenomenon in which young people — particularly Japanese men — shut themselves away from the world, locking themselves in their rooms for months, years, or even decades on end.
The libretto of hikikomori! is a semi-adaptation of the story of indie psychological horror video game OMORI. The storyline of OMORI centres on a young shut-in boy, living in a childlike dream world in his own head, as his denial-fuelled adventures with his childhood friends gives way to a hidden, tragic truth.

Through a loose retelling of the story of OMORI and the social phenomenon of hikikomori, the opera also comments on the collective trauma that we have experienced over the past two years. The effect of the pandemic on young people, in particular, has been dramatic: a survey conducted by The Guardian shows that 7% of seventeen-year-olds have attempted suicide (source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/21/uk-17-year-olds-mental-health-crisis), and a further 24% admitted to self-harm, in the first year of the pandemic.

While the trauma and isolation felt by the opera’s titular hikikomori has its roots in a more intimate grief, the universal themes I have strived to realise through this opera can be applied to a multitude of facets of our imposed lockdown: the fears of our own mortality, the loved ones taken from us too soon, the constant headlines reminding us of the world’s gravitas.

Describe your experience of working with other singers/musicians

It has been an immense joy and privilege to work with an incredibly talented and dedicated cohort of singers and instrumentalists over the course of the opera’s gestation. The premiere performance of hikikomori! features soprano Iuno Connolly, mezzo-soprano Katy Thomson, tenor Liam Bonthrone, and baritone Kieran Rayner, accompanied by Michelle Santiago on piano, under the artistic direction and mentorship of the Royal Opera House’s Susanna Stranders. We have recently finished a series of workshops in central London on the opera’s minutiae, and our performers have lent incredible performances that have brought the dream world and its characters to life — which has been an amazing feat, considering all of the singers are also busy learning Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon for the same weekend!

What you hope people will take away from hearing your music?

In essence, hikikomori! is an opera about grief, trauma, isolation, survivor’s guilt, and recovery from all of the aforementioned. While exploration of these topics may be understandably uncomfortable or painful for some — as the titular hikikomori faces in the darkest depths of his mind, in the opera’s final act — for myself, a confrontation with the truth and its consequences is how we forge the path to acceptance, and the way we can bring ourselves to move on.

hikikomori! premieres on 4 April 2022, at 3.30pm at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Oborne, Dorset. The premiere will be preceded by a talk by the composer, facilitated by artistic director Susanna Stranders.

Tickets cost £10 – contact Opera in Oborne at 01935 817194 or email info@operainoborne.org to reserve your place. Limited capacity. More information