NEWS about THE CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE. Read the story in Couriermail.com.au ( LINK )
Christchurch Earthquake Vido from RT
The Essay: Chopin
1st March - 5th March - 23:00
On BBC Radio 3, Piers Lane presented a series of essays looking at five aspects of Chopin’s life and music to celebrate two hundred years since the composer’s birth.
Piers Lane looks at five aspects of Frederic Chopin's life and music to celebrate 200 years since the composer's birth.
Drawing on extracts from Chopin's own writing, and those who have written about him over the past two centuries, Piers looks at the myths, interpretations and veneration surrounding one of the most universally adored pianist/composers.
Chopin's name is synonymous with ideas of romance and melancholy. In this first programme, Piers explores how, despite being labelled as the archetypal Romantic pianist, Chopin resisted much of what is now associated with 19th-century Romantic piano music – the overt scene painting and descriptive title of his contemporaries such as Liszt, Berlioz or Schumann.
Later in the week, Piers looks at how the composer innovated form and style on the piano, the instrument on which he focused so exclusively; Chopin's often overlooked role as one of the most sought-after teachers in Paris; his composing process and interpretations of his music; and the veneration from audiences and other composers that has always surrounded him.
Listen Again to the third episode this week here:
The 20th Australian Chamber Music Festival has now ended.
Piers plays one of the Steinway Pianos supplied for the Festival in Townsville.
Piers recently went to Hamburg to visit the Steinway Showrooms. Here are photos just received from the Steinway selection day in Hamburg last week, which was filmed for the Arte tv channel. Piers was selecting a piano for the ABC in Melbourne, and one for the Steinway dealers in Melbourne for a private sale.
Piers makes a selection at the Steinway Factory in Hamburg
Radio(webstreaming)
Downloads - also available as podcast from Radio New Zealand ( Click Here )
Interview on June 9th 2008
Radio NZ Concert FM
Piers talks about his recent New Zealand tour and future plans (21min) 9.8MB Listen to / or Download
RADIO
September 2010
Concert FM
Friday 10th September 2010 - at 20:00 - Music Alive
From Wellington Town Hall
Piers Lane (pno), Doric String Quartet
HAYDN: String Quartet in D Op 64/5, Lark;
BARTÓK: String Quartet No 3 Sz85 (Interval)
CHOPIN: Nocturne in Eb Op 55/2; Ballade No 3 in Ab Op 47;
BRAHMS: Piano Quintet in F minor Op 34 (RNZ)
Concert FM
Monday 13th September 2010 - at 20:00 - Music Alive
Direct from Auckland Town Hall
Piers Lane (pno), Doric String Quartet
HAYDN: String Quartet in A Op 20/6;
BRITTEN: String Quartet No 2 in C Op 36 (Interval)
CHOPIN: Nocturne in G Op 37/2; Ballade No 4 in F minor Op 52;
SCHUMANN: Piano Quintet in Eb Op 44 (RNZ)
Saturday 18th September 2010 - at approx. 11:00
ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM
Programme: YOUR REQUESTS
Dreyschock: Piano Concerto in D minor, Op 137 - Piers Lane, p; BBC Scottish Sym Orch/Niklas Willén
Hyperion CDA 67086 - 24'19
The British Library in London has made over 1000 fine recordings prior to 1956 available on their website for visitors to listen to.
Each week we'll provide a link to their piano catalogue which you can listen to while you browse.
Enjoy this wonderful facility. This week we have American pianist Oscar Levant playing
CHOPIN: Etude No.12, Op.10, No.12, C minor
recorded: 1949 - Just click the BL logo!
View Artwork & sleeve notes HERE . (Top Left, below CD pic)
BLOCH CD NOMINATED FOR
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE AWARDS
Ernest Bloch
Piano Quintets Nos 1 & 2,
Two Pieces, Paysages, Night.
Goldner Quartet & Piers Lane (piano)
Hyperion CDA 67638
Winners were announced on 7 April 2009
As part of a worldwide celebration of Ernest Bloch's work to commemorate 50 years since his death, the International Ernest Bloch Society (IEBS) is promoting two chamber concerts at the Wigmore Hall on 20 April and 15 July 2009.
Click on the Flyer (left) to read further information and access the On-Line Booking facilities at the Wigmore Hall.
Piers and Tasmin Little (violin)
celebrated MYRA HESS DAY Wednesday night - National Gallery London
(nicely flagged on music journalist and author Jessica Duchen's blog ... here)
they gave a wonderful performance ... here they are after the concert
Nice clip on Jessica's Blog last Thursday re: the performance
February 2009 - Opening of the new Melbourne Recital Centre
The Melbourne Recital Centre will be Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music after the Arts Centre's Hamer Hall. It is on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street, Southbank, and it extends the arts precinct which includes the Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Victorian College of the Arts.
Piers played four concerts during the Opening Festival, one of which was broadcast LIVE on ABC Classic FM.
September 2008 - Classic FM Magazine CD
for Classic FM Magazine - September 2008 - has Piers playing
Details and musical
excerpts from the cover CD:
"The Spirit of Russia" are here.
Scriabin: Prelude for the Left Hand in C sharp minor Op.9 Piers Lane (pf)
(Track 7) - from The Complete Preludes of Alexander Scriabin Hyperion CDA67057/8
June 22nd 2008 - Eileen Joyce Centenary
On Sunday June 22nd Piers played a recital at the Boulder Town Hall in memory of Eileen Joyce, one of Australia's most famous exports. It's the centenary year of both the Town Hall and Eileen Joyce's birth. Though she was born in Tasmania, she grew up in Boulder Kalgoorlie, from where she was sent to Perth to study with the nuns. It was in Perth that Percy Grainger heard her and advised that she should be sent overseas to study - that she was a phenomenal prodigy. For the concert Piers will include three rarities - transcriptions of concerto movements by Grainger - Tchaikovsky 1, Schumann and Rachmaninoff 2. Eileen Joyce was renowned for these concertos among others, which she played frequently at the Proms. She was also famous for playing more than one concerto in an evening and changing her dress to suit each composer! She played the Rachmaninoff Second as the sound track to the classic film 'Brief Encounter'. Intriguing that it was another Australian, David Helfgott, who brought the 'Rach 3' to a larger public through another hit film - 'Shine'.
Further information about Eileen Joyce on this Tasmanian page.
November 25th 2008 - Dame Myra Hess Day - National Gallery - London
Piers was delighted that earlier this year, the National Gallery in London agreed, after the success of two similar events in 2006 and 2007, to institute an annual Myra Hess Day in honour of her wartime concert series, which famously ran from October 1939 through until April 1946. The idea originally came from Carmel Hart, who asked Piers to help with the artistic direction of the first event. He been asked to continue as Artistic Director of the annual Day. This year's series will took place on November 25th, in the Barry Rooms, where the original series took place.
HERE is a LINK to all events that took place on 25 November 2008.
... and here is the great lady herself playing Beethoven 'Appassionata', 1st mvt (1945)
April 20th 2009 - Ernest Bloch
Piers has also been asked to direct two concerts at the Wigmore Hall in 2009, in honour of the Swiss composer Ernest Bloch, who died fifty years ago next year. The first concert will take place on April 20th 2009 at 19:30, and will feature the Goldner Quartet from Australia, with whom he recorded Bloch's Piano Quintets for Hyperion. The second concert, July 15th 2009 at 19:30, will feature the violinist Jack Liebeck with Swedish pianist Bengt Forsberg. Piers has also been asked to be a Vice President of the newly reformed Bloch Society. The Bloch CD, Gramophone Editor's Choice for December 2007, may be purchased either from Crotchet or Amazon. More details about Bloch's Piano Quintets can be found on Piers' Discography page.
Bloch: Sonata for violin and piano (1920) / mov.3 (Moderato)
Jascha Heifetz (violin) - Emanuel Bay (piano) ?
...
Celebrated musicians awarded Doctors of Griffith University
