Standard: £8
Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins have given duet recitals at many prestigious venues including the Royal Opera House, St George’s Bristol, St John’s Smith Square, Hatchlands Park, the Russell Collection and for the Mozart Society of America. Hailed for their ‘impressive playing’ by BBC Music Magazine, they have recently released Carl Maria von Weber’s complete piano duets on an original Viennese fortepiano for Deux-Elles, and have previously recorded Mozart’s complete sonatas for keyboard duet on period instruments over two discs for Resonus Classics. They have each been awarded Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of their ‘significant contribution’ thus far to the music profession, and have just released Tournament for Twenty Fingers featuring works by British composers from the twentieth century on BIS Records: the disc has received a 5 star review on BBC Music Magazine and has been chosen by Scala Radio as Album of the Weekend.
The Neapolitan pianist Emma Abbate enjoys a demanding career as a piano accompanist and chamber musician. Described as “an amazingly talented pianist” by the leading Italian magazine Musica, she has performed in duo recitals for international festivals and concert societies in Austria, Portugal, Italy, Poland and USA, and at UK venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, Royal Opera House, St John’s Smith Square, St George’s, Bristol and at the Aldeburgh Festival, in addition to broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. Emma has made a series of recordings devoted to 20th century Italian vocal chamber music, the latest of which is the world-première Sera d’inverno: Songs by Ildebrando Pizzetti with the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp on Resonus Classics: their disc has been praised by Gramophone for its ‘considerable intensity’ and was Editor’s Choice in the June 2018 issue of the leading Australian magazine Limelight. Emma previously recorded the world-première disc of Shakespeare Sonnets by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with the BBC New Generation Artist Ashley Riches, also on Resonus Classics. A keen advocate of contemporary music, Emma has released two discs devoted to works by Stephen Dodgson that include his piano quintets with the Tippett Quartet. Other world-première recordings include works for cello and piano by Algernon Ashton and Krzysztof Meyer with Evva Mizerska. Based in London, Emma is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and a staff coach at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. www.emmaabbate.com
Julian Perkins has recently succeeded Monica Huggett as Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in Oregon, USA. Based in the UK, he is also Artistic Director of Cambridge Handel Opera and Sounds Baroque. He has performed regularly at the Salzburg Festival, Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms, directed numerous groups ranging from the Academy of Ancient Music to the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, and featured as soloist in concertos with groups such as the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Sixteen and Florilegium.
Julian has appeared as solo harpsichordist or fortepianist at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Welsh National Opera, among others, features regularly on the BBC Early Music Show and In Tune, and performed as a soloist at London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center and Sydney Opera House. As a recitalist, Julian has given numerous solo and duo concerts for organizations such as the Mozart Society of America, Oxford Lieder Festival and the Royal Opera House. Shortlisted for the 2021 Gramophone Award for his recording of Eccles’ Semele, Julian’s conducting and playing has been praised in print for its ‘‘demonic intensity’’ (BBC Music Magazine – Recording of the Month), ‘‘fluid and natural pacing’’ (Gramophone – Editor’s Choice) and ‘‘verve and suavity’’ (Classical Music), conducting ‘‘as if every bar means the world to him’’ (Opera Disc of the Month), and giving ‘‘performances that reach to the heart of the music’’ (International Record Review). www.julianperkins.com
Programme
Sonata for four hands in E flat Major, op. 14 no. 3 M. Clementi
(1752–1832)
Allegro – Adagio – Rondo: Allegro
Five Spanish Dances op. 12 M. Moszkowski
(1854-1925)
Allegro brioso – Moderato – Con moto – Allegro comodo – Bolero
Summer Dreams, op. 47 A. Beach
(1867-1944)
The Brownies – Robin Redbreast – Twilight – Katy-dids – Elfin Tarantelle – Good NightTrois Pièces nègres pour les touches blanches C. Lambert
(1905–1951)
Aubade – Siesta – Nocturne
Various dates starting from 12th June, 6:30pm