British pianist, Clare Hammond, will be giving a recital at the Anglican Church of St Thomas Becket, Hamburg, on 29 March 2017 at 19:30. Recently awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s ‘Young Artist’ Award, she is forging a reputation as a presenter of “brilliantly imaginative concert programmes” (BBC Music Magazine).
The recital opens with a little known Suite by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre. A series of dances, it shows clearly the influence of a childhood spent at the Court of the Sun King, Louis XIV. We then hear Beethoven’s buoyant and optimistic Sonata in E flat major Op. 7, whose moments of heartfelt lyricism seem to presage Schubert. Debussy’s L’Isle Joyeuse, which closes the first half, was inspired by Watteau’s painting, L’embarquement pour Cythère. It was written soon after Debussy met Emma Bardac, who was to become his second wife.
In the second half, we hear a suite of movements written by Dutilleux during his time as Director of Music Productions at Radio France. The short pieces that comprise Au gré des ondes (“At the whim of the waves”) were intended to be broadcast between programmes and are neoclassical in style. Adès Mazurkas refer to characteristic features of the dance, distorted and transfigured through a modern lens. Fauré’s lyrical and introspective Nocturnes provide a moment of calm before Stravinsky’s electrifying Petroushka Suite. Using music from his ballet Petroushka, this tour de force demands the nigh impossible of the pianist. One of the most uncompromisingly virtuosic pieces of the piano repertoire, it provides an exhilarating close to the programme.
The concert flyer with further details and the programme can be found here. Clare’s website is www.clarehammond.com.
Tickets can be ordered in advance by email to konzert@anglican-church-hamburg.de. Tickets cost €20 (or €23 at the door). Please head the email “Clare Hammond 29 March”.