Saturday 18th November 2023
| Liszt |
Années de Pèlerinage II, Italie: Sposalizio, Il penseroso, Sonnetto 104 and Sonetto 123 by Petrarch |
| Brahms |
4 Ballades, Op. 10 |
| Lili Boulanger |
2 Morceaux for piano |
| Chopin |
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 |
We are delighted that Cristian Sandrin is performing for us three years later than our originally planned concert. Cristian brings a programme of great romantic piano music that is not to be missed.
Cristian gives a brief introduction to the masterpieces he will be playing for us in the video below, with particular focus on Lili Boulanger.
The core pieces in this concert are the Brahms’ Ballades and Chopin’s Third Sonata. The Ballades are a collection of four short piano pieces, each having a different character, but they are all unified by a common theme of romantic longing and passion. The final ballade of the four is a virtuosic piece that showcases Brahms' technical skill as a pianist and composer.
Chopin's Sonata is one of the most celebrated works in the composer's repertoire. The sonata is divided into four movements, with the third movement, the Largo, being a hauntingly beautiful nocturne that is considered one of Chopin's most expressive pieces. The piece has a fiery and virtuosic finale that brings the sonata to a dramatic close.
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Cristian Sandrin was born into a family of musicians in Bucharest, and he has been surrounded by classical music all his life. His frequent visits to the historic Romanian Atheneum concert hall and his attendances at the prestigious Enescu Festival shaped his musical aspirations from early childhood. Not surprising, years later, he would have his own debut at the Atheneum at the age of 13.
Cristian is an artist engaging with a multitude of repertoire, but especially devoted to the Mozartian repertoire - a passion that has led him to conduct numerous piano concertos from the keyboard for summer festivals as well as for the official opening of the Angela Burgess Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music. The year 2017 was marked by his successful and critically well received debut solo recital at the Wigmore Hall. From 2018–2020 he was privileged to tour the UK as an artist of the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme. Additionally, Cristian is a scholarship holder of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust benefiting from her unique one-to-one guidance and mentorship since 2017.
In 2021 Cristian travelled to Romania for his debut with the acclaimed George Enescu Philharmonic performing Mozart's K503 Piano Concerto in C major at the country's foremost music venue: The Romanian Atheneum - the same temple of music from Cristian’s childhood. In 2022 Cristian is performing challenging programmes including Beethoven's last three sonatas, Bach's Goldberg Variations - recitals that have left audiences and critics spellbound by the Cristian’s mature interpretations.
Cristian has collaborated as a soloist with the Petersfield Festival Orchestra, the Oxford Sinfonia, the Bournemouth Bach Choir Orchestra, the Bacau State Philharmonic, Sibiu State Philharmonic, Ramnicu-Valcea State Philharmonic and the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra. In addition, future appearances in Romania will include concerts at the Radio Hall in Bucharest and with the Craiova State Philharmonic.
Cristian's UK engagements have featured solo performances in London at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Wigmore Hall, LSO St Lukes, St James's Piccadilly, St Martin in the Fields, the National Liberal Club, the Oxford and Cambridge Club and the Imogen Cooper Music Trust venue in Knightsbridge. Outside London he has performed at the Stapleford Granary, in Brighton, Bournemouth, Oxford, Carlisle and Chipping Campden.
Other notable European engagements include performances at Salle Cortot in Paris, Marstall Platz in Berlin, Salla Manuel de Falla in Madrid, Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano, La Fenice Theatre in Venice, the British Institute of Florence, the Bulgaria Hall in Sophia and the Polish National Philharmonic Hall. He is a laurate of many international competitions, including the “Roslyn Tureck Special Prize” for the best interpretation of Bach during the Olga Kern International Piano Competition 2019 in New Mexico, USA.
Cristian's UK engagements have featured solo performances in London at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Wigmore Hall, LSO St Lukes, St James's Piccadilly, St Martin in the Fields, the National Liberal Club, the Oxford and Cambridge Club and the Imogen Cooper Music Trust venue in Knightsbridge. Outside London he has performed at the Stapleford Granary, in Brighton, Bournemouth, Oxford, Carlisle and Chipping Campden.
Other notable European engagements include performances at Salle Cortot in Paris, Marstall Platz in Berlin, Salla Manuel de Falla in Madrid, Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano, La Fenice Theatre in Venice, the British Institute of Florence, the Bulgaria Hall in Sophia and the Polish National Philharmonic Hall. He is a laurate of many international competitions, including the “Roslyn Tureck Special Prize” for the best interpretation of Bach during the Olga Kern International Piano Competition 2019 in New Mexico, USA.
