Peter Donohoe: Opus Ones

Tchaikovsky – Scherzo a la Russe Opus 1 No.1
Tchaikovsky – Intermezzo in E flat minor Opus 1 No.2
Prokofiev – Sonata No.1 in F minor Opus 1
Bartók – Rhapsody opus 1
Interval
Schumann – Variationen uber den Namen Abegg in F Major Opus 1
Berg – Sonata Opus 1
Brahms – Sonata No1 in C major Opus 1

First things first! There’s something specially revealing about a fledgling composer stepping forward at the start of their career – and for a truly great interpreter, that makes for an irresistible challenge. That’s why Peter Donohoe has devised this captivating programme: a whole evening devoted to great composers’ Opus Ones.

Tchaikovsky snaps a couple of green sprigs from Russian folksong, Bartók pays a debt to Liszt, and an angry young Prokofiev throws his romantic toys right out of the pram.

Then Schumann borrows a coat from Chopin; Berg hurls a truly monumental challenge, and Johannes Brahms shows why Schumann said he’d “sprung fully armed, like Minerva, from the head of Zeus”.

Peter Donohoe brings a lifetime’s insight to each and every one of them – as well as the most breathtaking technique in the business. Youth meets experience: expect power, tenderness, and the perennially fresh touch of one of the supreme virtuosos of our time.

Pre-concert Talk:
Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1
Helen Leek, University of Warwick piano tutor, talks with Peter Donohoe.