Sunday July 15th 2018
Guest Musician: Amir Farid (Piano)
Music between the readings: Intermezzo in Bb minor, Op.117 No.2 – Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Completed in 1893 the six pieces for piano from which this intermezzo is drawn was the second last work of Brahms to be published during his lifetime. It has become a favourite amongst pianists and audiences alike.
Music during the offering: Sonata in E minor Op.90, 1st mvt – L. Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
This sonata is dedicated to dedicated to Prince Moritz von Lichnowsky and was written during 1814. Beethoven wrote to his friend and benefactor Moritz von Lichnowsky about the sonata: “I had a delightful walk yesterday with a friend in the Brühl, and in the course of our friendly chat you were particularly mentioned, and lo! and behold! on my return I found your kind letter. I see you are resolved to continue to load me with benefits. As I am unwilling you should suppose that a step I have already taken is prompted by your recent favors, or by any motive of the sort, I must tell you that a sonata of mine is about to appear, dedicated to you. I wished to give you a surprise, as this dedication has been long designed for you, but your letter of yesterday induces me to name the fact. I required no new motive thus publicly to testify my sense of your friendship and kindness”.
The Postlude: Loose Control – Joseph Rebman (born 1991 USA)
Many words in the English language are frequently mixed up due to similar spellings, but with very different meanings. One pair I have often struggled with is “loose” and “lose.” After this work was completed and I was looking for a title to cover its unusual character, I thought of these two words. There are points in the piece where the effect is of losing control, but the player must always be in control to avoid actually falling apart. Thus, a sense of loose control can be thought to cover this balance.
“Playing expressively requires loose control, but you can easily lose control.”
About today’s guest musician:
Winner of the 2006 Australian National Piano Award, US born Iranian-Australian pianist Amir Farid has been described as “a highly creative musician – a pianist of great intelligence and integrity. He brings strong musical substance to all that he does, imbuing it with his own particular experience and understanding”, and who “in a well-populated field…distinguishes himself for all the right reasons”.
Recital collaborations include tenor Ian Bostridge, saxophonist Claude Delangle, violinists Arabella Steinbacher and Nikki Chooi, violist Lise Berthaud, cellists Mats Lidström, Alexander Baillie and Martin Loveday, sopranos Greta Bradman and Siobhan Stagg, baritone Wolfgang Holzmair, flautist Michel Bellavance and clarinetist Philippe Cuper. As a chamber musician, Amir is pianist of the Benaud Trio ( www.benaudtrio.com), winning the Piano Trio prize at the 2005 Australian Chamber Music Competition.
As one of the most versatile and loved musicians in Australia, the currently New York-based pianist has performed concerti with major orchestras, collaborating with conductors such as Christopher Hogwood, Oleg Caetani, Johannes Fritzsch, Alexander Briger, Marko Letonja and Benjamin Northey. Highlights include Rachmaninoff’s 2nd piano concerto with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in front of a 13,000-strong crowd at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Mozart’s concerto No.14 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and “The Mozart Dances” with the Mark Morris Dance Group and West Australian Symphony Orchestra as part of the 2015 Perth Festival.
Since graduating with distinction from the Royal College of Music London in 2009 with Andrew Ball, he has performed as a solo recitalist and collaborative artist in concert halls and festivals internationally, including Carnegie Hall New York, St. Martin in the Fields London, Al-Hashemi-II Kuwait, MONA FOMA Festival Hobart, Coriole Festival SA, Huntington Festival NSW, as well as other venues in USA, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand and China.
His numerous highly acclaimed recordings (primarily with Move Records) are heard frequently on radio stations throughout Australia and internationally, including a solo CD of works by Persian composer Javad Maroufi, multiple albums with cellist Zoe Knighton and soprano Siobhan Stagg, and numerous releases on ABC Classics and Melba Recordings with the Benaud Trio. Several of his albums have been nominated for an Australian Independent Music Award. Amir is also a recorded artist on the Steinway & Sons Spirio catalogue, as part of the piano manufacturer’s revolutionary player-piano system.
Amir has studied under the guidance of Ronald Farren-Price, Geoffrey Tozer, Rita Reichman and Timothy Young while at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM) and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). He continues to work with Farren-Price since beginning studies with him in the mid 90’s. As well as his concert career, Amir has worked as a collaborative pianist at MCM, ANAM, the Australian Children’s Choir, and the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust. He was the Melba Trust’s inaugural répétiteur scholar in 2013, working under the guidance of Sharolyn Kimmorley. As of 2017, Amir is a staff pianist at the Vocal Arts department of the Juilliard School, New York City.
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