Beethoven Piano Society of Europe | Jed Distler Concert Wednesday, September 3, 1.10 pm sees the latest in our St James Piccadilly lunchtime series. We were lucky enough to be able to secure a date for the extraordinary New York-based pianist and composer Jed Distler on his current European tour. Many of you will also know Jed as perhaps the world’s leading authority on piano recordings, historical and modern.
Julian Jacobson ,President of the Beethoven Society UK ,who had invited Jed to play whilst on his European tour was quite rightly intrigued by this eclectic and quite unique programme consisting of: 32 piano sonatas in one minute. Julian plays them all in one sitting too but it takes him over 16 hours and is a ‘tour de force’ of memory and stamina. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2024/06/12/kapellmeister-julian-jacobson-reveals-the-debussy-preludes-at-the-1901-arts-club-with-integrity-and-old-style-musicianship/
Jed after all the Beethoven Sonatas was quite happy to add the Funeral March from the Eroica Symphony before entering into his unique sound world.
I had met Jed at a musical fair in Cremona and we hit it off immediately but then who wouldn’t ! Jed knows more about pianos and pianist than anyone alive or dead and is also one of the nicest people I know .It is an honour to have him as a guest in my house but he asked me not to write about his concert today so as not to be accused of conflict of interests. So ‘mum’s’ the word but the recording is here and can be enjoyed at your leisure without any words from me !
So I am not writing any more than to say I have rarely heard this Fazioli- or any other come to that – sound so beautiful as it did today!
I look forward to his performance of Shostakovich ‘Leningrad’ Symphony with Cristian Sandrin next week ,and there I will let rip with unconstrained praise and admiration for two such eclectic musicians
Presented in association with The Beethoven Piano Society of Europe
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 