HOW TO BOOK · Schumann Kinderszenen, Op.15˛ Beethoven 32 Variations on an Original Theme˛in C minor, WoO.80 Schubert Sonata in C minor, D.958˛ Louis Schwizgebel, a recent BBC

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Front cover images (clockwise): Maurizio Pollini © Cosimo Filippini, Benjamin Grosvenor © Mark McNulty, Yuja Wang © Ian Douglas, Mitsuko Uchida © Decca Justin Pumfrey

INTERNATIONAL

PIANOSERIES 2016 /17

In the 2016/17 International Piano Series some of the world’s most celebrated pianists, including Maurizio Pollini, Richard Goode and Mitsuko Uchida, perform a wide range of masterpieces: from the hair-raising challenges of Liszt and Balakirev to the intimate lyricism of Schubert, Chopin and Mozart.

Many of the recitals, too, are given by brilliant emerging artists who are making waves for a new generation, among them Benjamin Grosvenor, Federico Colli, Louis Schwizgebel, Ingolf Wunder and Yulianna Avdeeva, as well as the young megastar Yuja Wang.

To sit in a room full of people, who have come together to listen to a single performer, is one of the most intense and intimate musical experiences. The International Piano Series offers the perfect opportunity to encounter, at close hand, musical passion and dazzling technical mastery.

Since Queen Elizabeth Hall is closed for renovation, a number of the performances take place in St John’s Smith Square, where audiences can enjoy the music, the beautiful baroque architecture and an up-close-and-personal atmosphere.

Gillian Moore MBE Director of Music, Southbank Centre

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The International Piano Series is presented by Askonas Holt, HarrisonParrott, Ingpen & Williams, Intermusica, International Classical Artists and Victoria Rowsell Artist Management, all in association with Southbank Centre.

The International Piano Series is devised, co-ordinated and developed by HarrisonParrott.

TICKETS 0844 847 9929 SOUTHBANKCENTRE.CO.UK/IPS

Save up to 20% when you book for multiple concerts. See back page for details.

‘Should be celebrated’ (@s tephenf r y)

‘Unimaginable brill iance’ ( Th e Tele gr aph)

BENJAMIN GROSVENORTuesday 4 O c tober 2016

Mozart Sonata in B fl at, K.333Chopin Sonata No.2 in B fl at minor, Op.35 (Marche funèbre)Scriabin Sonata No.2 in G sharp minor, Op.19 (Sonata-fantasy) Granados Goyescas, Op.11: No.1 Los Requiebros & No.3 El fandango de candilLiszt Rhapsodie espagnole, S.254

Hailed as ‘one in a million – several million’ (The Independent), Benjamin Grosvenor continues to build a magnifi cent international career.

The young British pianist opens with the fi ligree delicacy of Mozart’s Sonata in B fl at, K.333, before presenting Chopin’s Sonata No.2, a terrifying, visionary work celebrated for its famous Funeral March.

The second half embarks on colourful travels: fi rst to Russia with Scriabin’s heady and atmospheric Sonata No.2, then the vivid Spanish sound world of Granados and, to close, the Rhapsodie espagnole by Liszt, which reaches supreme heights of pianistic display.

St John’s Smith Square, 7.30pm£28* £15* £10*Premium £38*

© Mark McNulty


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FEDERICO COLLIThur sday 20 O c tober 2016

Mozart Variations in F on Paisiello’s ‘Salve tu, Domine’, K.398Beethoven Sonata in F, Op.54Schumann Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Fantasiebilder), Op.26Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition

Since winning the 2012 Leeds International Piano Competition, the young Italian pianist Federico Colli has been thrilling audiences worldwide.

Colli’s programme opens with the graceful charm of Mozart’s Variations on a theme by Paisiello, followed by Beethoven’s intimate Sonata Op.54.

After the interval, Schumann’s Carnival Jest in Vienna is an exuberant and impassioned set of pieces, featuring a ‘joke’ quotation from the Marseillaise, which was banned in Vienna at the time.


‘I can almost imagine this is how Beethoven

would have played it ’

(Pianis t Magazin e)

DANNY DRIVERThur sday 3 November 2016

Bach French Suite No.5 in G, BWV.816Schumann Études symphoniques, Op.13Balakirev Nocturne No.2 in B minorRachmaninov Selection from Études-tableaux, Op.39Prokofi ev Sonata No.7 in B fl at, Op.83

Praised by Gramophone for his ‘irreproachably eager and stylish pianism’, Danny Driver’s international reputation has been growing apace.

The British pianist begins his International Piano Series debut with two composers in whose music he is especially celebrated: the intricate baroque beauties of Bach in the French Suite No.5, and the demanding and beautiful variations that comprise Schumann’s Symphonic Études.

The second half is devoted to Russian music: a soulful rarity by Balakirev, a selection from the dramatic Études-tableaux by Rachmaninov, and a wartime masterpiece by Prokofi ev.


‘Bold, exuberant and precise’

( Th e G uar dian)

St John’s Smith Square, 6.15pmFederico Colli discusses the programme.FREE

St John’s Smith Square, 6.15pmDanny Driver discusses the programme.FREE

© Sarah Ferrara

© Richard Haughton


Save up to 20% when you book for multiple concerts. See back page for details. * Transaction fees may apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone. No transaction fee for bookings made in person or for Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles

INGOLF WUNDERS aturday 19 November 2016

Schubert Sonata in B fl at, D.960Chopin Nocturnes: Op.9: No.1 in B fl at minor; No.2 in E fl at & B.49 (Op. posth.) in C sharp minor; Polonaise-Fantaisie in A fl at, Op.61; Polonaise in A fl at, Op.53

When Ingolf Wunder fi rst performed at the International Piano Series, The Guardian’s critic declared: ‘It’s a long time since I’ve heard a young pianist make such an impression on his debut’.

The young Austrian scooped second prize at the 2010 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw and went on to record for Deutsche Grammophon.

The range of his artistry is showcased tonight in a programme that opens with Schubert’s other-worldly last sonata. After the interval he performs a selection of poetic pieces by Chopin.


‘A fearless player, with... the musical intelligence

to put it to good use’ ( Th e G uar dian)

St John’s Smith Square, 6.15pmIngolf Wunder discusses the programme.FREE

© Patrick Walter



LOUIS SCHWIZGEBELFriday 2 De c ember 2016

Mozart Sonata in D, K.576Schumann Kinderszenen, Op.15 Beethoven 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C minor, WoO.80Schubert Sonata in C minor, D.958

Louis Schwizgebel, a recent BBC Radio 3 New Generation artist, marks his debut in the International Piano Series with a programme focusing on some of the piano repertoire’s greatest composers.

He opens with the poised brilliance of Mozart’s last piano sonata, then turns to Schumann’s much-loved Kinderszenen, which depicts a series of tender childhood images.

Beethoven’s intense, volcanic Variations in C minor launch the second half, and to close there is Schubert’s Sonata, in C minor, which picks up on Beethoven’s high drama, mingles it with Schubert’s deeply personal, songful writing, and closes with a demoniac tarantella.


‘A pianist with a profound gif t ’

( Th e G uar dian)

St John’s Smith Square, 6.15pmLouis Schwizgebel discusses the programme.FREE

© Marco Borggreve



PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD & TAMARA STEFANOVICHTuesday 24 Januar y 2017

Brahms Sonata in F minor for 2 pianos, Op.34bMessiaen Visions de l’amen

Hear Stefanovich and Aimard perform deeply refl ective music written for two pianos. The ‘masterly’ Aimard and ‘staggeringly brilliant’ Stefanovich (New York Times) present Messiaen’s mystical evocation of the cosmos alongside Brahms’ richly sublime Sonata for two pianos. Composed in 1943, soon after his release from a German prison camp, Messiaen’s Visions de l’amen is a musical outpouring of Catholic faith and spiritual ecstasy incorporating tolling bells and rapturous birdsong.


This concert is part of The Search for the Meaning of Life segment of Southbank Centre’s Belief and Beyond Belief festival

‘Stunningly inventive and supremely musical’ (New York T im e s on Pier r e-L aur en t

A imar d & Tamar a S te f anov ich in 2015)

© Neda Navaee



MITSUKO UCHIDATuesday 31 Januar y 2017

Mozart Sonata in C, K.545 Schumann Kreisleriana, Op.16 Schumann Fantasie in C, Op.17

A perennial favourite in the International Piano Series, Mitsuko Uchida has long devoted much attention to the mainstream German and Viennese repertoire, as well as taking a keen interest in the music of today.

Opening with one of Mozart’s best-loved sonatas, Uchida continues with another Schumann masterpiece: Kreisleriana – a work by turns turbulent, nightmarish and mischievous, inspired by the supernatural tales of ETA Hoffmann. The programme concludes with Schumann’s great C major Fantasie, Op.17 – a giant love song for the composer’s future wife, Clara Wieck.

Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm£50* £35* £20* £10* Premium £65*

‘Mitsuko Uchida is still a queen of her instrument: her phrasing

hear t felt, her tone warm and her responsiveness to mood acute.’

(New York T im e s)

© Decca / Justin Pumfrey



MAURIZIO POLLINITuesday 21 Febr uar y 2017

Programme includes:

Debussy Préludes, Book 2Chopin Works to be announced

The great Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini brings two recitals to Royal Festival Hall.

Catapulted to fame upon winning the International Chopin Competition in 1960, Pollini soon developed a career featuring a vast breadth of repertoire – from Bach to the music of his own contemporaries such as Luigi Nono and Pierre Boulez.

This is the fi rst of two opportunities to hear this grand maestro. The second is Tuesday 14 March (see overleaf).


‘Indisputably one of the greatest pianists of our time’

( Th e G uar dian)

© Cosimo Filippini



BORIS BEREZOVSKYTuesday 28 Febr uar y 2017

Programme to be announced

The Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky has been internationally lauded for his extraordinary technical accomplishments and his imaginative fl air.

Berezovsky won the Gold Medal at the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, two years after his London debut, which found The Times terming him ‘a player of dazzling virtuosity and formidable power’.


‘Nothing can scare Boris Berezovsk y, who plays…with

over whelming force and securit y ’ (Pianis t ma ga zine)

MAURIZIO POLLINITuesday 14 Mar ch 2017

Programme includes:

Beethoven Sonatas to be announced

See previous page for details.


© Vincent Garnier



YULIANNA AVDEEVAWe dnesday 29 Mar ch 2017

Beethoven Sonata in E minor, Op.90; 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C minor, WoO.80; Sonata in E fl at, Op.81a (Les Adieux)Liszt La lugubre gondola, S.200; Unstern! sinistre, disastro, S.208; R.W. - Venezia, S.201; Sonata in B minor

Since winning fi rst prize in the 2010 International Chopin Competition, Yulianna Avdeeva has been delighting audiences worldwide.

For this recital, she opens with Beethoven: fi rst the two-movement Sonata Op.90, which moves from tension and turbulence to peaceful reconciliation; next, Les Adieux, full of both drama and longing, followed by the 32 Variations in C minor, a roller-coaster ride of pianistic invention.

The second half is devoted to works by Liszt, whose haunting vision of Venice, La lugubre gondola, contrasts with the brighter Venezia, fi lled with joie de vivre. The concert ends with his intense and dramatic Sonata in B minor.


‘She plays brill iantly with emotion and a magical touch. Her audience

are caught under her spell’ (Le Journ al du Mé do c)

© Harald Hoffman



YUJA WANGTuesday 11 A pr il 2017

Programme includes:Beethoven Sonata in B fl at, Op.106 (Hammerklavier)

There is only one Yuja Wang. The young pianist rose to prominence while still in her teens, championed by such preeminent conductors as Claudio Abbado and Gustavo Dudamel. She soon became one of the most in-demand popular piano stars of our day.

Though she has often been associated with high-octane virtuosity, Wang’s repertoire is voraciously broad. This concert offers London audiences a fi rst chance to hear her perform Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata, one of the composer’s most profound and challenging works for solo piano.


‘She seems to have ever y thing: speed, f lexibilit y, pianistic

thunder and interpretive nuance’ (New York T im e s)

© Norbert Kniat



ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUKWe dnesday 3 May 2017

Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV.565 transc. BusoniHaydn Sonata in B minor, Hob.XVI/32Chopin Fantaisie-impromptu, Op.66; Études, Op.10: Nos.3 & 8 – 12Rachmaninov Sonata No.2 in B fl at minor, Op.36 (vers. rev. 1931)Prokofi ev Sonata No.7 in B fl at, Op.83

The winner of the 2005 Arthur Rubinstein Competition, Alexander Gavrylyuk, makes his debut in the International Piano Series.

His recital begins with an imposing piano transcription of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor; next he offers Haydn’s B minor Sonata, which mingles pure classical lines with shadowy, mysterious atmospheres.

After the interval come two masterpieces from Russia, Rachmaninov’s Sonata No.2 and Prokofi ev’s No.7: works on a grand scale which evoke an almost orchestral variety of colour, the fi rst overwhelmingly romantic, the other haunted by the tensions of World War II, during which it was composed.


‘One of the greatest discoveries of the

past decade.’ (D e Tele gr a af )

© Mika Bovan



RICHARD GOODEWe dnesday 31 May 2017

Beethoven Sonatas, Op.10: No.1 in C minor; No.2 in F; No.3 in D; Op.54 in F & Op.101 in A

The much-loved American pianist Richard Goode concludes this season’s International Piano Series with a recital devoted to Beethoven, the composer with whom he has always been most strongly associated.

The fi rst half spotlights the composer’s early Op.10 sonatas, substantial pieces of great vitality and ceaseless invention, showing the then-youthful Beethoven at his fi nest.

The lyrical Sonata Op.54 opens the second half and the recital concludes with Op.101, in which tender intimacy is contrasted with dramatic and extrovert movements fi lled with a galvanising energy.


‘Ever subtle and supple, he maintained a fragile fusion of vir tuosit y and introspection’

( Th e Fin an cial T im e s)

© Steve Riskind



SOUTHBANK CENTRE AT ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE

While the refurbishment of Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery is taking place, we are delighted to be taking concerts from our classical music season to St John’s Smith Square.

This 300-year-old Baroque church has long welcomed the world’s fi nest musicians.

HOW TO GET TO ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE

St John’s Smith Square is located in the heart of Westminster, just a short walk from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Westminster, St James’s Park, Victoria and Pimlico

Victoria and Charing Cross

Buses Millbank, Horseferry Road or Marsham Street

Car parking On street Pay & Display parking and Residents Parking is in operation 8.30am – 6.30pm, Monday – Saturday.

Cycle There is cycle parking in the square

St John’s Smith SquareSW1P 3HA

SHOP, EAT AND DRINK

The Footstool Restaurant is open for tea, cake and meals. Plus there are two bars for pre-concert and interval drinks.

See southbankcentre.co.uk/sjss for more details.

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

TRANSPORT

Waterloo and Embankment Southbank Centre Car Parks: – Belvedere Road (7am – 1am)Please note the Hayward Gallery Car Park will be closed while Southbank Centre carries out essential refurbishment work on Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

ACCESS

Southbank Centre is accessible to people with disabilities. For more information, visit southbankcentre.co.uk/access, call us on 0844 847 9910 orfax 020 7921 0607

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SHOP, EAT AND DRINK

We have an extensive range of restaurants, cafes and shops here at Southbank Centre. For full details visit southbankcentre.co.uk/shop-eat-drink

Documents

HOW TO BOOK · Schumann Kinderszenen, Op.15˛ Beethoven 32 Variations on an Original Theme˛in C minor, WoO.80 Schubert Sonata in C minor, D.958˛ Louis Schwizgebel, a recent BBC