Roger Woodward

Pianist

Saturday 21 September 2024 7:30pm

Roger Woodward AC is an Australian human rights activist, pianist, composer, conductor and teacher. His depth of interpretation, extensive repertoire and formidable technique place him in the top echelon of living musicians. Iconic performances and recordings characterized by penetrating insight and unusual precision with Pierre Boulez, Jean Barraqué, Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Rolf Gehlhaar, Sylvano Bussotti, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Arvo Pärt and Tōru Takemitsu, are now considered classics. He was founding member and artistic director of festivals in London, Kötschach-Mauthen, Austria, Bourgogne and of the Sydney Spring Festival of New Music.

Innovative interpretations of J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Schoenberg, Skryabin, Shostakovich and Prokofiev provide a strong and original direction sometimes reviewed as unorthodox for their modernity. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards in Australia, France, the UK, and of the Order of Merit and Gloria Artis, Poland. He performed with most of the major orchestras of our time including the Gewandhaus, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and the five major London Orchestras. Conductors with whom he worked include Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel, Georg Tintner, Charles Dutoit, Walter Susskind, Erich Leinsdorf, Charles Mackerras, Edo de Waart and Witold Rowicki. He was guest artist at the Venice Biennale, Festival d’automne à Paris, Festival Cervantino, the New York Piano Festival, BBC Promenade Concerts, Edinburgh Festival and at the invitation of Sviatoslav Richter, guest artist at the Ferme de Meslay, Touraine.

Some of his recording projects for Spotify, Celestial Harmonies, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, RCA, Decca and ABC Classics, received awards including the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Germany), the Diapason d’or (France) and Ritmo Prize (Spain). Roger Woodward is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and member of the Australian Republic Movement.

Program:

Fryderyk Chopin Eight Mazurkas

• A minor, Op.17, no.4
• C-sharp minor, Op.63, no.3
• C-sharp minor, Op. 30, no.4
• A-flat major, Op. 41, no.4
• C major, Op.56, no.2
• C minor, Op.56, no.3
• F minor, Op.68 (posth) no.4 (original version)
• E minor, Op.41, no.2

Fryderyk Chopin Polonaise-fantaisie Op.61

Interval

Claude Debussy Estampes

• Pagodes
• La soirée dans Grenade
• Jardins sous la pluie

Johann Sebastian Bach Partita no.2, in C minor, BWV 826

• Sinfonia
• Allemande
• Courante
• Sarabande
• Rondeaux
• Capriccio

Concert information

Concert commences 7:30pm

Location

St John Paul College Theatre

Hogbin Drive, Coffs Harbour

Single concert ticket prices

• Adult: $60
• Concession: $55
• Student (with ID): $15
• Child (under 16 years): $15

Tickets can be purchased online up until 24 hours prior to the concert. Tickets can be purchased at the door up until the concert start time. Online bookings incur a booking fee of 2.5%.

Pre-concert talk: 6:30pm

Program is correct at the time of printing but may be subject to change.