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03 February 2010
Top Pianist in Sheffield to Open Spring Concert Season
The University of Sheffield will open its Spring 2010 Concert Season this month, with a performance by internationally renowned pianist, Alfred Brendel. The concert, which will take place on Tuesday 16 February 2010, will see Brendel discuss the art of interpretation, and provide musical examples, alongside projections and recordings from his long spanning career.
Alfred Brendel is one of the indisputable authorities in musical life today, and is recognised internationally as one of the most famous and talented pianists on the concert platform. His performance will mark the first of 12 evening concerts, and 20 daytime musical events taking place between February and mid-May.
A concert will also be held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death of Vaslav Nijinsky; one of the most celebrated dancers in the history of ballet. Nijinsky rose to fame with the touring company, The Ballets Russes. The company´s productions set trends in art, dance, music and fashion for the first half of the 20th Century, and included collaborations with many influential artists such as Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, and Igor Stravinsky. In this concert, some of the most iconic music from these productions will be performed for piano duet by Benjamin Frith and Peter Hill, both internationally acclaimed pianists, and faces well known to Sheffield audiences.
A series of events during the season, entitled `Nordic Spring´, will bring an entertaining and enlightening mixture of Nordic musical talents to Sheffield. The events, which are sponsored by the Nordic Cultural Fund and the Danish Embassy, will aim to promote the understanding of Nordic culture.
As the series draws to a close in May, a concert featuring scenes from a Beijing Opera will be performed by the London Jing Kun Opera Association. The association is the only organisation in the UK that promotes Beijing and Kunqu Opera. This will be a rare opportunity to witness the sheer spectacle of this vibrant yet endangered art form.
The season will also feature a concert and narrative entitled `The Romantic Life of Frederic Chopin´, and The Café Band in Vienna – a unique group inspired by the tradition of live music in Viennese coffee houses at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Alongside the usual programme of free Lunchtime Concerts, two new programmes of events have been introduced to the season this year; Rush-Hour Concerts and Music in the Winter Garden. Rush-Hour Concerts, which will begin on Monday 15 February, 5.30pm in Firth Hall, will offer an alternative to sitting in traffic jams or being squeezed into public transport, and will be open for people to de-stress after the end of a busy day and listen to some great affordable music before going home. Music in the Winter Garden is a series of free lunchtime concerts, providing the opportunity to listen to magnificent music in the splendid surroundings of the garden, and these start at 12:30pm on Wednesday 17 February.
Stewart Campbell, Concerts Manager at the University, said: "The focus of this season has been the accessibility of classical music to a mainstream audience. The formation of Rush-Hour and Winter Garden Concerts offers an alternative to the stressful and busy parts of the day. These concerts needn't just appeal to people who are avid classical and world music fans, but could be a method of escaping the hustle and bustle of life. The majority of the evening events have underlying themes outside of the music itself, be that in literature, world culture, visual art, theatre and history, meaning there is much more to absorb from these events besides the musical material. I hope this additional appeal will encourage people who don't usually attend live classical and world music events to give our concerts a go."
For a full programme of events, please visit the concert webpages below.
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