The Bach Odyssey is now well underway. Already I have given the first two programmes in the cycle (there will be 12 in total) in places such as New York, Florence, and of course London’s Wigmore Hall. All the French Suites, Inventions, Sinfonias, Cappricios–already presented, and what wonderful music it is! Coming up soon is Ottawa mid-March with two recitals, the first performance of the third recital (beginning the Partitas) in New York on April 4th; and the first two instalments in Tokyo at the end of May.
But that’s not all I’m doing by any means. In early January, for Hyperion, I recorded a second album of Scarlatti Sonatas that will be out by the end of the year; my new recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations has been out since October, and a 7th volume of Beethoven Sonatas is on its way (only 2 left in the complete cycle!). I’ve also done quite a few concerts conducting Bach and Mozart from the keyboard, most notably with the Lucerne Festival Strings in Munich’s Gasteig just before Christmas. A programme like that will appear again with the Toronto Symphony next November. In many masterclasses I’ve listened (and hopefully helped!) many gifted young pianists–most recently in Birmingham and at London’s Royal College of Music.
Planning the Trasimeno Music Festival, which takes place this year from 28 June to 4 July in Umbria, takes up huge amounts of my time. I don’t just plan the programmes and deal with all the logistics for the artists, but follow the bookings, answer queries from the public, do the fundraising…and much more. But it has added so much to my life, and I hope that many of you can make it to Italy this summer. Don’t, please, worry about earthquakes. Yes, there have been tragic ones in Umbria but not in the area of Lake Trasimeno. Umbria needs your support more than ever and we have a fantastic programme on offer. Booking is now open on the festival website: https://www.trasimenomusicfestival.com
The year 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of my native country, Canada. I remember well the celebrations back in 1967 for the centenary, even though I was just a girl. The Canadian government has just named 150 Canadians as “Ambassadors” for Canada during this special year, and I am very honoured to be one of them. On July 1st, the actual “Canada Day”, I’ve planned a special Canadian celebration in Perugia with 4 Canadian pianists on stage at once, and an interview with author Madeleine Thien, a finalist in this year’s Man Booker Prize.
This is a long post, but I haven’t written for a while. If you want more instant news, then go to Facebook or see my Twitter feed on the homepage of this website. But watch out: there’s something very special coming in the next few days. Something that every piano student and teacher around the world, I hope, will want to know about!
Recently I’ve received many very moving messages from people around the world about my concerts and recordings and what they have meant to them. Thank you to everybody who takes the time to write. Music speaks to us in a way that nothing else can.
