13/03/2009 [About Yamaha]
Acclaimed pianist Nikolai Demidenko concludes the highly successful International Piano Recital Series on Friday 3rd April.
Presented by Malvern Theatres in association with Yamaha, this final event in the series sees one of the finest pianists of his generation performing a programme including Beethoven’s Sonata in F Op.10 No.2, Sonata in F sharp Op.78, Sonata in E minor Op.90 and Schumann’s Arabesque Op.18 and Sonata in F sharp Minor Op.11.
The recital series (a partnership with Malvern Theatres and Yamaha) has proved very popular, all preceding events—featuring three of the world's best exponents—having sold out. Peter Donohoe opened the series on 18th September 2008 and was followed by John Lill and Noriko Ogawa.
A celebrated piano virtuoso, Nikolai Demidenko is considered a leading exponent of the Russian school of playing. His blend of technical brilliance and musical vision has earned him universal admiration and he has become a firm favourite in his adopted home of Great Britain, where he gained citizenship in 1995.
Demidenko began playing before the age of five and, by his sixth birthday, he was a student of Anna Kantor (Evgeny Kissin's teacher) at the Gnessin School of Music. He eventually entered the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Dmitri Bashkirov, whom Demidenko credits with fostering his more individual qualities as a player and refining his technique. Reaching the finals of both the 1976 Montreal competition and the 1978 Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow served as a final springboard to professional recognition.
A 1985 tour with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra introduced Demidenko to the West, and in particular to the UK, where he became a resident in 1990. He has steadily built an international career of the highest caliber, playing concertos with many of Europe's greatest orchestras and conductors, and playing a landmark series of recitals in London's Wigmore Hall. His recordings of Medtner, Mussorgsky, and Busoni have been particularly well received, and he has established himself as a leading interpreter of Liszt and Chopin as well as exploring the work of earlier composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Scarlatti.
Senior Director at Yamaha, Mike Ketley, comments: “At Yamaha Pianos we are absolutely thrilled by the success of our partnership with Malvern Theatres. This unique series that has allowed us to present some of the world’s finest pianists in an idyllic setting whilst reinforcing the quality and musicality of Yamaha pianos, which are becoming an increasingly popular feature on the world’s concert platforms.”
Malvern Theatres’ Marketing Director Fred Moroni says: “We’re grateful to Yamaha for their support in bringing such world class pianists to Malvern Theatres and look forward to this final recital of the season and a partnership that will bring the very best pianists here for years to come.”
Tickets priced at £12, £15 & £18 can be purchased online: http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk or from the Malvern Theatres Box Office, tel: 01684 892277.
