Music for Galway’s 42nd International Concert Season opens with a celebration of legendary Russian born Romantic composer/pianist Sergei Rachmaninov.
UK pianist Lucy Parham brings with her actor Tim McInnerny (of Blackadder and Notting Hill fame) to present Elégie: Rachmaninov – A Heart in Exile on Tuesday 26th September at the Hardiman Ballroom at 7.30pm.
“I am a ghost forever wandering the world” These are the words of Rachmaninov who spent the second part of his life in self-imposed political exile – mainly in America – having been forced from his homeland in 1918 by consequences of the Russian Revolution.
At the age of 44, he left Moscow for Sweden on an open sleigh, accompanied by his wife and two daughters and carrying nothing but a suitcase.
He was never to return – but he left his heart forever in Russia. Lucy Parham and Tim McInnerny will tell the extraordinary story of his life through both music and words.
Lucy Parham first came to public attention as the Piano Winner of the 1984 BBC Young Musician of the Year.
Since her Royal Festival Hall concerto debut at the age of 16, she has played throughout the UK as concerto soloist with most of the major British orchestras and is a frequent recitalist at the Wigmore Hall.
She has also toured the USA with the BBC Concert Orchestra on their 50th anniversary, as well as Mexico and Turkey with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with whom she has now given over 60 performances.
Abroad, she has toured with the Russian State Symphony, Sofia Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Polish National Radio SO and L’Orchestre National de Lille.
Acknowledged as one of Britain’s finest pianists, Lucy Parham applies her sensitivity and imagination not only to concertos and recitals, but also to portraits in words and music (narrated by acclaimed actors, in this case Tim McInnerny) of such composers as Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Clara Schumann and Debussy.
Tim’s extensive theatre work includes starring roles at the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and in London’s West End.
He played Iago in Othello at Shakespeare’s Globe and Frank ‘N’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Show at The Piccadilly Theatre. He starred in What The Butler Saw at the Vaudeville Theatre and in Scenes From An Execution at The National Theatre.
As part of Music for Galway’s Encore Series, the concert will be repeated in association with Athenry Music School and Athenry Heritage Centre and supported by the Galway County Council Arts Office the following night, 27th September, at the Raheen Woods Hotel in Athenry at 8.00pm.
Tim starred in the award-winning drama The Serpent for The BBC. To great acclaim he played Simon Gould in the Amazon Prime series Ten Percent. He has been filming the series One Day for Netflix and Mrs Davis for Warner Bros TV.
Ticket prices are Standard €20; Concession €18; Social Inclusion €6; MfG Friends €16 and can be booked from www.musicforgalway.ie or 091 705962. Concession rate applies to people aged over 66 and social inclusion tickets are available to children, students (full time), people in receipt of disability and back to work allowance as well as to people seeking refuge and refugees.
