Events

Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op. 28
Interval
Rachmaninov
Études Tableaux Op. 33, No. 5 in D minor
Prelude Op. 23, No. 4
Prelude Op. 32, No. 5 in G major
Études Tableaux Op. 33, No. 3 in C minor
Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor Op.36

Steven Osborne is a pianist who commands complete attention in the concert hall. He plays with intelligence and sensitivity but without ostentation. Described as ‘always a player in absolute service to the composer’ (The Observer), he is a favourite performer in the SJE Arts International Piano Series.

The programme starts boldly. Rachmaninov’s Piano Sonata No. 1 is a colossal work with Faustian overtones and a palette of shifting colours and contrasting moods. On completing it, Rachmaninov was so concerned it was unplayable that he sent it to a friend for advice. Post-interval, the Preludes and Études Tableaux are individual gems, and Piano Sonata No. 2, although also full of energy, finds Rachmaninov in happier mood.

Born and raised in Scotland, Steven Osborne’s early breaks came in the 1990s with wins at major international competitions in Vevey, Switzerland and New York. His career now takes him all over the world and his many residences, including at London’s Wigmore Hall and Antwerp’s De Singel, are a sign of the respect that he commands. Steven was named Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year 2013 and was made O.B.E. for Services to Music in the Queen’s 2022 New Year Honours.

Rachmaninov, Sonata No. 1 & Moments Musicaux (Hyperion 2022)
‘…Resisting every temptation to overplay, Osborne shapes confusion into dramatic purpose, lovingly enveloping the whole in imaginative insight…one is left wondering where, in the first quarter of the 21^st century, one might turn for more idiomatic, more intelligent or more beautiful Rachmaninov-playing.’ Gramophone

This concert is sponsored by Professor Nick Couldry.

Season Tickets available for the entire Series (8 concerts) at a 25% discount.