Latest News

Mikhail Pletnev cancels Proms and Edinburgh Festival dates

5 August 2010

Khatia Buniatishvili joins Sony

19 July 2010

The young Georgian musician Khatia Buniatishvili, born in Tbilisi in 1987, was recently awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and appointed to the BBC New Generations Artist scheme.

Her debut album for Sony Classical, due in spring next year, will mark Liszt’s 200th anniversary and will include the Sonata in B minor, Liebestraum No 3, La Campanella, Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 and the Mephisto Waltz.

In a press release she said: 'I am so excited to be at the beginning of this journey with Sony, full of adventures, surprises and possibilities'. She recently performed at Wigmore Hall and tomorrow (20 July) she will perform at the Verbier Festival.

Stephen Kovacevich celebrates his 70th birthday with a Wigmore Hall concert

16 July 2010

One of the highlights of London's Wigmore Hall's 110^th anniversary next season is Steven Kovacevich’s 70^th Birthday Concert on 17 October 2010. The pianist will be joined for the occasion by friends and colleagues Martha Argerich and Khatia Buniatishvili, the Belcea Quartet, and percussionists Colin Currie and Sam Walton. The programme will comprise Liszt's Sonata in B minor, Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion and Brahms's Piano Quintet in F minor op.34.

An interview with Kovacevich will appear in the September/October 2010 issue of International Piano.

Clara Taylor, ABRSM chief examiner, dies aged 61

16 July 2010

Gary Rowsel

Clara Taylor, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) chief examiner, has died at the age of 61.

Guy Perricone, ABRSM chief executive, said: 'Everyone at ABRSM is greatly saddened to hear the news of Clara's untimely death, and our thoughts are with her family at this time. Clara was a fine teacher who struck the perfect balance between true professionalism in terms of maintaining standards and being incredibly approachable and human. All examiners and staff were totally devoted to her, and there will not be one amongst us who will not miss her musical authority, company and warm humour.'

Taylor was appointed chief examiner to ABRSM in 1997, having previously been an examiner, moderator and trainer.
During her time with the examining board she gave seminars and workshops to music teachers in many countries. She was responsible for the selection, training and moderation of all ABRSM examiners, as well as their ongoing professional development, and led a series of seminars for the examining panels each year.

Taylor studied at the Royal Academy of Music and, on graduating, was appointed to the Academy's staff as a vocal coach. At that time she combined teaching with a performing career, accompanying recitalists in many parts of the world and appearing regularly at Wigmore Hall and the Southbank Centre. She also performed and made a number of recordings with the Vanbrugh and Alberni quartets.

Her past students include Dame Felicity Lott and winners of the Kathleen Ferrier Prize, the Royal Over-Seas League and the Young Welsh Singer of the Year.

A full obituary will appear in the September/October 2010 issue of International Piano.

Pianist Lara Ömeroğlu wins BBC Young Musician 2010

1 July 2010

Lara ÖmeroğluBBC/ HUW JOHN

The title of BBC Young Musician 2010 has gone to 16 year-old pianist Lara Ömeroğlu from Watford. In the final round at Cardiff's Millennium Centre, televised live, she beat off impressive challenges from violinist Callum Smart and flautist Emma Halnan to win the £2,000 first prize. Already a finalist at the Franz Liszt Competition in Weimar, Ömeroğlu had the confidence to learn the 2nd Saints-Saens concerto for the Young Musician final in three months.

Ömeroğlu was inspired to take up the piano by the playing of elder sister Melis, who these days is a student at Trinity College of Music. She entered the BBC Young Musician competition '....particularly because it gave me the chance to play with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales if I reached the final. But the overall attraction of the competition was that it would give me more opportunities to perform in public and learn new repertoire. Playing in front of a panel of experts and then being able to talk with them is so important.'

Ömeroğlu studies with Emily Jeffery at the specialist Purcell School in Hertfordshire, where Head of Keyboard William Fong describes her as '....one of the most fearless pianists I've ever come across. You can throw anything at her and she's game to have a go.'

Pianist Lucy Parham, a judge at the competition's keyboard category final, sees Ömeroğlu as already '....a real artist. There was such an atmosphere in her Chopin playing that no-one in the audience dared move.'

Chopin is regularly on Ömeroğlu's CD player, Cortot and Idil Biret being among her favourite pianists. 'It's important to listen to recordings. You get lots of different ideas which can help improve your own interpretations.'

The competition success has been widely trumpeted in Turkey, where Ömeroğlu has family roots. 'One of the invitations I've received since winning the competition has been to play in Istanbul,' she says. Since her triumph, she has been involved in a full-house Lang Lang masterclass at the Royal College of Music. 'I played him the Chopin Etude in C Sharp Minor...he showed me different ways of approaching the piece and pointed out how important it was to relax.'
ANDREW GREEN

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