In February 2017, the audience at Darlington Piano Society‘s recital experienced an awe- inspiring and memorable recital of works by Liszt, Scriabin and Rachmaninov, played by Vadym Kholodenko, the young Ukrainian winner of the 2013 Van Cliburn competition. This eponymously named competition is held every two years in memory of the young American pianist who was the winner of the first Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War in 1958. Such was the impression created by Vadym’s performance that audience members urged that he be heard again at the earliest opportunity.
This wish is fulfilled at 3pm on Sunday 26th January 2020 in Central Hall when he returns as part of his second UK and European tour. The first half of his programme includes sonatas from the classical period by Mozart and Schubert and ends with the Ballade by the prolific Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, born in 1952. After the interval, Vadym performs masterpieces of the Russian repertoire in the shape of a selection of Preludes by Scriabin and Rachmaninov’s second piano sonata.
Greg Johnson, Chairman of the Society, said “We make great effort to bring to the town, pianists from the UK and Europe and even further afield and, after the immediate clamour amongst members in 2017, it was self-evident that we had to secure a return visit. This is not straight-forward when the performer has a growing global reputation but when we heard that a second UK tour was being planned we had to take advantage of this opportunity. I’m sure that we will be as impressed as we were in 2017”.
The recital takes place in Central Hall, the Dolphin Centre, Darlington, at 3pm on Sunday, 26th January 2020. Tickets are available in advance via the society’s website – www.dpiano.co.uk – from the reception desk at the Dolphin Centre and are always available at the door on the day of the recital, priced £14, U21 free.
