Krystian Zimerman - to us, King Krystian the Glorious - will be in the UK next month for three recitals: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, on 23 May, The Anvil, Basingstoke, on 25 May and in Southbank Centre's International Piano Series at the RFH, London, on 27th. His programme remained under wraps for some while but has now been confirmed as:
Bach: Partita No.4 in D major, BWV 828
Beethoven: Sonata in C minor, Op.111
Brahms: Klavierstucke, Op.119
Szymanowski: Variations on a Polish Theme, Op.10
I've written a cover feature about KZ for the latest edition of PIANIST magazine, which is out now. The magazine, edited by superwoman-dynamo-journo-pianist Erica Worth, is heartily recommended for all pianophiles at all levels. Here is the feature: read about his friendship with Rubinstein, his passion for ice diving and why he won't be going to America again until the Iraq situation is sorted.
And, stop press: the latest news is that he will be doing a pre-concert talk here in London before the 27 May recital and I will be asking the questions. :-)
Friday, April 25, 2008
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3 comments:
Thanks so much for this, Jessica. I've been a fan of King Krystian the Glorious since I met him when he was rehearsing "The Age of Anxiety" with Bernstein and the LSO at the Guildhall back in the 80's. A group of us students went over to congratulate him, and he was so gracious and kind to us, asking about our studies. That's when I fell for him, and have been to many of his concerts since.
I now live near L.A. and am saddened that he hasn't been here in many years. I'm glad to see he will still be playing in the U.S. in 2009, as he has a date booked for April in L.A. Although I understand his reservations about playing in the U.S., I think it's a shame that we, the enthusiasts, are being penalized. So many of us agree with him about the political issues... are we supposed to all emigrate, or to stay here and to try to make things better?
I wouldn't be too sure about the Bach Partita being No.4 (as per Southbank website). At Manchester & Basingstoke (& in Paris in June), it is advertised as No.2, which he has been playing on the rest of his European tour so far. As far as I know, he has never played No.4 in public.
Though the prospect of Op.111 is very exciting, in Spain I hear he replaced this with the other famous C minor sonata, the Pathetique...then played the first movement of Op.111 as an encore!
Great news about a possible pre-concert talk- I will be there, for sure. And many thanks Jessica for a great interview with tremendous news about future recordings - including the completion of the fabled Szymanowski disc.
AdamM
Dear Ms. Duchen,
Thank you for posting a link to your interview with Mr. Zimerman. (I've been a fan of his since I heard his recordings of Schubert Impromptus.) I read your article with great interest. I respect his consistent stance on the political/social issues.
When he came on tour to Japan in 2006, he expressed his sincere regret over how our country had been involved in the Iraq situation. I felt his statement about the issue was, in a good way, thought-provoking. (Personally I agreed with him, and I'm sure that quite a few people in Japan reacted favorably to his statement as well.)
I hope things will get better for all of us in the future...
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