Concert Series 2019-20

Pianist Richard Uttley appeared in our 2017 series, in duo with composer-clarinettist Mark Simpson, and here he returns with a solo recital featuring an eclectic range of personal, at times intensely expressive, works. Janáček’s anguished In the Mists was written after the death of his daughter, and features some of his most searching and poetic piano writing. In On Visiting Stravinsky’s Grave at San Michele, Erika Fox pays homage to one of her favourite composers. Richard recently recorded a selection of Fox’s chamber music with Goldfield Ensemble for NMC; this is the first commercial recording of Fox’s music and has been hailed as a landmark in the rediscovery of a unique voice. These two dark works are balanced by pianist Alexis Weissenberg’s flamboyant arrangements of the chansons of Charles Trenet, which instantly evoke 1950s Paris and gained some notoriety when they were released anonymously under the title Mr Nobody Plays Trenet - Weissenberg’s identity as ‘Mr Nobody’ was only recently discovered, and the scores were finally published in 2019. After the interval, Gérard Pesson conjures up the ghost of Couperin, and a young Brahms strives to transcend the piano through a mighty sonata, cast on a symphonic, orchestral scale.

Noted for the integrity and breadth of his musicianship as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist, Richard has been recognised for his ‘musical intelligence and pristine facility’ (International Record Review), ‘amazing decisiveness’, and ‘tumultuous performance’ (Daily Telegraph). His playing is frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and has featured on BBC Two, BBC Four, Classic FM and Sky Arts. He won the British Contemporary Piano Competition in 2006 and was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2011.

Programme

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): In the Mists
Erika Fox (b. 1936): On Visiting Stravinsky’s Grave at San Michele
Alexis Weissenberg (1929-2012): Arrangements of songs by Charles Trenet [selection]
Gérard Pesson (b. 1958): Ambre nous resterons
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Sonata No.3 in F minor, Op.5