Singapore International Piano Festival Announces Details Of 2020 Programme
![Singapore International Piano Festival Announces Details Of 2020 Programme](https://web-assets.sso.org.sg/images/_620xAUTO_crop_center-center_none/SEO-SIPF-2020-2.jpg)
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF 2020 PROGRAMME
- Nelson Goerner, Mei Yi Foo, Leon McCawley and Christian Zacharias to perform
- All four pianists make their festival debuts; Christian Zacharias and Leon McCawley make their Singapore debuts
- Programme highlights include Beethoven’s 'Les Adieux' Sonata and Eroica Variations, in the composer’s 250th anniversary year.
- Masterclasses announced with Mei Yi Foo and Leon McCawley
The 27th edition of the annual Singapore International Piano Festival takes place 4-7 June this year with a stellar line-up of pianists, all of whom are appearing at the festival for the first time.
Over four nights from 4 June, Nelson Goerner, Mei Yi Foo, Leon McCawley and Christian Zacharias each perform a solo recital in the historic Victoria Concert Hall, one of the oldest buildings in Singapore. Tickets sales begin on Friday 6 March at 10am.
This year’s festival has a broad scope, encompassing music by Beethoven – in the composer’s 250th anniversary year – as well as works by Haydn, Grieg, Messiaen, Bartók and Unsuk Chin.
Two of this year’s pianists – Mei Yi Foo and Leon McCawley – will also lead masterclasses during the festival.
Lim Yan, the Artistic Director of the Singapore International Piano Festival, said:
“The 27th edition of the Singapore International Piano Festival promises to be a thrilling exploration of the history and colours of the instrument. I’m delighted to welcome four of today’s top pianists to Singapore – two of whom will be making their debuts in the country – presenting varied and wide-ranging programmes with music spanning the 18th century to the present day. We also celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year, with works including his ‘Les Adieux’ Sonata and Eroica Variations.”
Nelson Goerner is one of today’s greatest classical pianists. He has performed with many of today’s major orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Hallé Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia and NHK Symphony Orchestra, and with several of today’s leading conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philippe Herreweghe, Neeme Järvi, Sir Mark Elder, Paavo Järvi, Vassily Sinaisky, Jonathan Nott, Fabio Luisi and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Winner of the 2013 BBC Music Magazine’s Best Newcomer award, Malaysian pianist Mei Yi Foo is recognised internationally as an innovative pianist with a diverse and eclectic repertoire. A prolific concert soloist, Mei Yi has appeared with the English Chamber Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony, London Chamber Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Remix Ensemble and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, garnering rave reviews from The Times, The Independent, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, SRF broadcast, The Guardian and Klassik magazine.
One of Britain’s foremost pianists, Leon McCawley has forged a highly successful career since winning first prize in the 1993 International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and second prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition the same year. Since then, his concert performances and extensive discography have established him as a pianist of great integrity and variety, bringing freshness and vitality to Classical, Romantic and 20th-Century repertoire.
Christian Zacharias has established himself not only as a world-class pianist and conductor, but also as a musical thinker. Numerous acclaimed concerts with the world's best orchestras and outstanding conductors as well as multiple honors and recordings characterize his international career. He holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor with the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid and works with ensembles including the English Chamber Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He performs in international music centres in Paris, Lyon, Moscow and the much-acclaimed Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
![[Cancelled] Nelson Goerner](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.sso.org.sg%2Fimages%2F_620x372_crop_center-center_none%2FNelson-Goerner-SIPF-2020.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
[Cancelled] Nelson Goerner
Nelson Goerner, piano
Thu / 04 Jun 20 / 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
This concert has been cancelled. See updates and FAQs for details.
With a stream of expressly eloquent reviews following his every performance, the acclaimed Nelson Goerner makes for a highly anticipated opening to the 27th Singapore International Piano Festival. Called the “master goldsmith of the piano”, the Argentinian pianist will first pay tribute to Beethoven in his 250th anniversary year, before bringing his sublime artistry to Albeniz’s Spanish-inspired evocations and Godowsky’s virtuosic paraphrase of Johann Strauss’s Künstlerleben – a vivid showcase of an artist’s life.
FeaturingNelson Goerner, piano
ProgrammePiano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a “Les Adieux” | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
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Variations and a Fugue, Op. 35 “Eroica Variations” | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
Iberia, Book 3: El Albaicín, El Polo and Lavapiés | Isaac Albéniz (Albéniz) |
España: Tango, Op. 165, No. 2 (arr. Godowsky) | Isaac Albéniz (Albéniz) |
Künstlerleben from Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Johann Strauss | Leopold Godowsky (Godowsky) |
![[Cancelled] Mei Yi Foo](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.sso.org.sg%2Fimages%2F_620x372_crop_center-center_none%2FMei-Yi-Foo-2-SIPF-2020.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
[Cancelled] Mei Yi Foo
Mei Yi Foo, piano
Fri / 05 Jun 20 / 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
This concert has been cancelled. See updates and FAQs for details.
Known for championing new music, UK-based Malaysian pianist Mei-Yi Foo presents a fascinating exploration of 20th-century piano music that promises to be truly eye-opening. A solo piano transcription of Ravel’s Ma Mère l'Oye, Bartok’s “five fairly difficult” (his own words) Out of Doors Suite and Messiaen will share the programme with two contemporary composers: selections from the venerable Hungarian composer György Kurtág’s Játékok, a collection he is still writing for; plus the extraordinary etudes of the preeminent South Korean composer Unsuk Chin.
FeaturingMei Yi Foo, piano
ProgrammeMa mère l’Oye | Maurice Ravel (Ravel) |
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Six Piano Etudes | Unsuk Chin (Unsuk Chin) |
Out of Doors, Sz. 81 | Béla Bartók (Bartók) |
Selections from Játékok | György Kurtág (György Kurtág) |
Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus: No. 10 Regard de l'Esprit de joie | Olivier Messiaen (Messiaen) |
![[Cancelled] Mei Yi Foo (Masterclass)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.sso.org.sg%2Fimages%2F_620x372_crop_center-center_none%2FMei-Yi-Foo-SIPF-2020.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
[Cancelled] Mei Yi Foo (Masterclass)
Sat / 06 Jun 20 / 4.00pm
Victoria Concert Hall Dance Studio (Level 3)
This concert has been cancelled. See updates and FAQs for details.
Singapore International Piano Festival masterclasses offer the public an opportunity to observe and learn from the world’s top pianists.
Winner of the 2013 BBC Music Magazine’s Best Newcomer award, Malaysian pianist Mei Yi Foo is recognised internationally as an innovative pianist with a diverse and eclectic repertoire. A prolific concert soloist, Mei Yi has appeared with the English Chamber Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony, London Chamber Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Remix Ensemble and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, garnering rave reviews from The Times, The Independent, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, SRF broadcast, The Guardian and Klassik magazine.
![[Cancelled] Leon McCawley](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.sso.org.sg%2Fimages%2F_620x372_crop_center-center_none%2FLeon-McCawley-SIPF-2020.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
[Cancelled] Leon McCawley
Leon McCawley, piano
Sat / 06 Jun 20 / 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
This concert has been cancelled. See updates and FAQs for details.
“Light of touch, stylistically assured and brimful of intelligence and wit.” - Gramophone.
Praised for his unfailingly communicative pianism, leading British pianist Leon McCawley presents an evening of piano poetry at the SIPF 2020. The magisterial beauty of Haydn’s 1790 Sonata No. 59 is a sublime match for Beethoven’s 31st, while the lyric miniatures of Grieg make a sparkling prelude to Schumann’s inspired Kreisleriana.
FeaturingLeon McCawley, piano
ProgrammeSonata No. 59 in E-flat major, Hob. XVI/49 | Joseph Haydn (Haydn) |
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Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110 | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
Lyric Pieces, Book III, Op. 43: No. 1 Sommerfugl; No. 4 Liten fugl; No. 6 Til våren | Edvard Grieg (Grieg) |
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 | Robert Schumann (Schumann) |
![[Cancelled] Leon McCawley (Masterclass)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.sso.org.sg%2Fimages%2F_620x372_crop_center-center_none%2FLeon-McCawley-2-SIPF-2020.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
[Cancelled] Leon McCawley (Masterclass)
Sun / 07 Jun 20 / 4.00pm
Victoria Concert Hall Dance Studio (Level 3)
This concert has been cancelled. See updates and FAQs for details.
Singapore International Piano Festival masterclasses offer the public an opportunity to observe and learn from the world’s top pianists.
One of Britain’s foremost pianists, Leon McCawley has forged a highly successful career since winning first prize in the 1993 International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and second prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition the same year. Since then, his concert performances and extensive discography have established him as a pianist of great integrity and variety, bringing freshness and vitality to Classical, Romantic and 20th-Century repertoire.
![[Cancelled] Christian Zacharias](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.sso.org.sg%2Fimages%2F_620x372_crop_center-center_none%2FChristian-Zacharias-SIPF-2020.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
[Cancelled] Christian Zacharias
Christian Zacharias, piano
Sun / 07 Jun 20 / 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
This concert has been cancelled. See updates and FAQs for details.
With his deep musical understanding and a sure artistic instinct, paired with his charismatic and engaging artistic personality, Christian Zacharias has established himself not only as a world-class pianist and conductor, but also as a musical thinker. He presents a selection of Scarlatti's sonatas, a key oeuvre that finds echoes in the early works of Beethoven, here represented by his 1795 First Sonata and the 1796 Variations on “Das Waldmädchen”. Schubert’s D.845, published during his lifetime as the Premiere Grande Sonata, showed the public he was more than a composer of lieder, but a worthy successor of Beethoven.
FeaturingChristian Zacharias, piano
ProgrammeFive selected Sonatas (to be announced) | Domenico Scarlatti |
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Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
12 Variations on a Russian Dance from Wranitzky’s “Das Waldmädchen”, WoO 71 | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
Sonata No. 16 in A minor, D845, Op. 42 | Franz Schubert (Schubert) |
before booking fees: $1 for tickets $20 and below, $3 for tickets $20.01 to $40, $4 for tickets above $40.
Tickets are available from: the website ticketing.sso.org.sg, SISTIC hotline: 6348 5555 and SISTIC counters island-wide.
For press enquiries, please contact:
Singapore Symphony Group
80 Bencoolen Street, NAFA Tower Block
08-01 Singapore 189655
T +65 6602 4239
M +65 8622 3766
elizabeth.davis@sso.org.sg