On Wednesday 22 November, we were delighted to welcome into school our Piano Music Fellow for this academic year – international soloist, collaborative pianist and recording artist, Katya Apekisheva. Described by Gramophone Magazine as a “profoundly gifted artist”, Katya is one of Europe’s most renowned and talented pianists, as well as being Co-Artistic Director of the London Piano Festival.
Katya spent the day taking masterclasses with small groups of boys, some of them playing piano solos, and two piano trios. First to the keys was Upper Sixth Former and Music Scholar Aaron Lim, who played the first movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. Katya commended his playing and reported that he is already well underway in his preparation to perform this piece as the soloist with the school orchestra next summer. She then worked with him on some small excerpts, focussing on how to produce more variety of colour and tone, encouraging him to take notice of all the different nuances of the phrases. She advised that, when playing a solo part with an orchestra, your intentions need to be projected even more clearly.
At lunchtime, it was Katya’s turn to take to the stage and delight an audience of boys and staff with a superb recital, saying how happy she was to be there and to have the opportunity to listen to young talent. She began with Three Hungarian Folksongs by Bartok, early, short compositions, which were very melodic. She then went on to play three pieces by Franz Schubert, one of her “absolute favourite composers”. She described how his music gives you the feeling of being taken on “a personal journey, always having some terrifying moments, facing death, asking big questions”. Listeners were captivated by her masterful, spellbinding performance, and the rapturous applause was testament to Katya’s ability to express and communicate through music at the highest level.
Mrs Bantock, Head of Piano, thanked Katya for the wonderful recital, and for spending time with the boys during the day. She said, “Katya is a dynamic and inspiring pianist, and we are very lucky to have her here”.
You can find out more about Katya Apekisheva and the rest of this year’s Music Fellows here.
