London Piano Festival Artistic Directors Katya Apekisheva & Charles Owen celebrate the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninov in a programme underpinned by dance.

Rachmaninov was without doubt one of the greatest of all pianists and a supremely gifted composer beloved by generations of admirers. His music straddles late romanticism and the burgeoning modern era, a world he sometimes found challenging to understand and accept. From this late period comes his masterpiece the Symphonic Dances, written whilst the composer was living in American exile. The work combines a vigorous rhythmic drive with an aching nostalgia. The Two suites from his youthful years were composed in pre-revolutionary Russia, the spirit of Tchaikovsky a guiding influence. Both pieces demonstrate his unique gift for creating breath-taking piano textures and unforgettable melodies. As a complimentary contrast, Katya Apekisheva & Charles Owen will also play Eleanor Alberga’s vibrant Suite for two pianos, a work pulsating with dance-like energy written to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence in 1987.

This performance will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.