WEBVTT 00:00:26.350 --> 00:00:29.010 That was the opening of Clara Schumann's Romance, 00:00:29.010 --> 00:00:32.689 Op. 11 No. 1, and it was performed by Lucy Parham. 00:00:32.990 --> 00:00:36.009 I'm Erica Worth and welcome to this Pianist Podcast. 00:00:36.590 --> 00:00:39.909 Today I am speaking with Lucy about her diverse 00:00:39.909 --> 00:00:43.210 life in music, with a particular emphasis on 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:45.890 her composer portrait series, which celebrates 00:00:45.890 --> 00:00:49.929 its 25th anniversary. Lucy, it's lovely to have 00:00:49.929 --> 00:00:53.380 you on the Pianist Podcast today. Lovely to be 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:55.460 here with you. Thank you for inviting me. You're 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.479 very welcome. I thought I'd kick off by discussing 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.520 a rather landmark achievement in your Composer 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:05.159 Portrait series, this being its 25th anniversary. 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:08.579 So why don't you explain to the listeners what 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:11.340 they can expect at a Composer Portrait concert? 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:14.560 Well, first of all, I mean, the thought that 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:17.239 it's 25 years is quite extraordinary, makes me 00:01:17.239 --> 00:01:23.219 feel very old, which of course I am. I, you know, 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.079 as with many things in life, these composer portraits 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:29.959 came out of something of a much, almost like 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:34.739 a smaller kernel of an idea. And I used to chat 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:37.760 a lot in my recitals. I've always been very fond 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:40.739 of the music of Robert and Clara Schumann. So 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:42.920 I'd be chatting to the audience and often I'd 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:45.819 read one of the letters before I would play the 00:01:45.819 --> 00:01:48.620 fantasy or something like that. And then I would 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:50.739 play it and people would say, gosh, it really 00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:54.000 made a difference to hear that letter read before 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:56.700 you played the piece because it put it in context. 00:01:57.420 --> 00:02:00.040 And these comments will come quite frequently. 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:03.260 And it just began to plant a kernel of an idea 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:06.500 that maybe there's a way to have more of the 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:10.759 readings and more pieces, but shorter pieces 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:15.400 whereby you could tell a story and give a recital 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:19.189 at the same time. I had never seen this done. 00:02:19.469 --> 00:02:24.469 I hadn't really planned to do anything like that. 00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:28.849 It just evolved. I mean, don't laugh. It evolved 00:02:28.849 --> 00:02:32.509 out of me talking too much in my concerts. So 00:02:32.509 --> 00:02:36.710 it sort of came out of that. And I think that, 00:02:36.710 --> 00:02:38.889 you know, people sometimes say, yes, what will 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:43.030 I, is it a lecture recital? There is nothing 00:02:43.030 --> 00:02:47.139 lecture -like about it at all, far from it. I 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:50.840 would say it's more like in the way that when 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:53.259 we were at school and we would go to music lessons 00:02:53.259 --> 00:02:55.740 and you'd see the dusty bust of the composer 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:58.400 on a shelf and you wouldn't, they weren't real 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:01.560 people. They were just people who you maybe learnt 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.639 about in a music class. And I wanted to bring 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:08.020 them to life so that you knew about their love 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:10.500 life, their struggles, their financial struggles, 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.319 their domestic struggles. But that was in the 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:16.370 context of the music. So if you were to come, 00:03:16.490 --> 00:03:19.949 you'd hear about their love or certainly a certain 00:03:19.949 --> 00:03:24.870 portion of their life interspersed with pieces 00:03:24.870 --> 00:03:27.650 that they wrote. Always whole pieces. I never 00:03:27.650 --> 00:03:31.909 chop pieces up. So it's complete pieces. Occasionally 00:03:31.909 --> 00:03:34.129 it's one movement, but that's very, very occasional. 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:40.659 And then the actor, narrator. becomes the voice 00:03:40.659 --> 00:03:43.520 of that composer. They're not reading random 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:47.259 letters. The letters form a story. And we both 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:51.199 own the stage together. And certainly with my 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:56.099 latest one of I, Clara, I think that both the 00:03:56.099 --> 00:03:59.479 actress and I feel we are alternately Clara. 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:02.159 When I'm playing, I'm Clara. And when she is 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:04.400 reading, she's Clara. And then we become one 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.479 person in the middle somewhere. So that's a little 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:09.800 bit of the background. Goodness, that is remarkable. 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:11.919 How very interesting. I mean, it really is a 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:14.819 collaboration. It's 50 -50, isn't it, really? 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:18.540 It is. I mean, there tends to be a little bit 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:20.980 more in the way of music than words, but it is 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:24.600 a collaboration. And really, for me, it's a form 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:28.980 of chamber music. And I think what I've really 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:31.240 loved about it is that it's brought people to 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:34.420 concerts that might not otherwise come to concerts. 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:38.160 So they might come because they fancy seeing, 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.180 Dame Harriet Walter, for instance, because they've 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:43.660 seen her in theatre or on telly or whatever, 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:46.620 and they might not be a regular concert goer. 00:04:46.620 --> 00:04:50.360 But then that's a way to get into going to concerts. 00:04:50.459 --> 00:04:52.800 And people have said that, you know, I wouldn't 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:56.180 normally go to a classical concert, but I enjoy 00:04:56.180 --> 00:04:58.060 doing that. So it's a good way to combine the 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:00.740 both, I think. That's amazing. And to date, how 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:03.439 many are there of these composer portraits? There 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:09.709 are six. there are six shows now and I've probably 00:05:09.709 --> 00:05:13.250 in that 20, I was trying to work this out this 00:05:13.250 --> 00:05:17.529 morning, but I must've done, I mean, many hundreds, 00:05:17.589 --> 00:05:20.730 probably up to nearer the thousand, but I mean, 00:05:20.750 --> 00:05:25.350 certainly, certainly 500, maybe 800. I know it's 00:05:25.350 --> 00:05:27.329 a lot. It's a lot. I've haven't counted them 00:05:27.329 --> 00:05:30.550 all, but. Have you exported them? Have you played 00:05:30.550 --> 00:05:34.410 overseas? Yes, I've been, I've done them in various 00:05:34.410 --> 00:05:37.029 countries overseas. Obviously, language is the 00:05:37.029 --> 00:05:39.370 barrier. So on the whole, they're better English 00:05:39.370 --> 00:05:43.829 speaking countries. And I feel it would be a 00:05:43.829 --> 00:05:46.490 little presumptuous to take a show about a German 00:05:46.490 --> 00:05:48.629 composer to Germany in English, for instance. 00:05:49.350 --> 00:05:53.230 But I think one of the highlights was going abroad, 00:05:53.290 --> 00:05:57.269 was going to Turkey to the beautiful big hall 00:05:57.269 --> 00:06:00.750 in Istanbul with a very well -known Turkish actress. 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:06.459 We well, she she did the show in Turkish. Obviously, 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:11.199 I speak absolutely no Turkish at all. And normally, 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.100 you know, I mean, you've seen some of the shows 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.500 and you know that the baton is handed between 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:19.180 me and the actress fairly seamlessly. I know 00:06:19.180 --> 00:06:21.500 where to come in and I know the kind of mood 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:23.399 to take up from the actor. But of course, because 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:26.439 I speak no Turkish, we had to arrange this sort 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:29.759 of code whereby the last sentence before I would 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:33.779 play the piece. She had a little table with props 00:06:33.779 --> 00:06:36.459 on it and she would raise her glass or she would 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:38.660 run her fingers through her hair. So I had a 00:06:38.660 --> 00:06:40.660 little list on the piano. I don't have the music, 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:43.220 but I had a little list saying runs fingers through 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:46.160 hair or picks up pen. The trouble was occasionally 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:49.180 she would do this unprompted, unrelated to that 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:51.480 by mistake. And I didn't know if that was my 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:55.259 cue or not. So I think I've never felt so exhausted 00:06:55.259 --> 00:06:59.579 at the end of a concert. It was she was terrific 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:03.100 and it was. Amazing to do it in that space. But 00:07:03.100 --> 00:07:06.540 in Turkish was not something that I'd ever. And 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:11.199 the text was transcribed by an English professor 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.779 into Turkish over there. So hopefully it was 00:07:14.779 --> 00:07:17.379 very close to the text. But yes, who thought? 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:20.959 Who'd have thought? Now, I don't know who that 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:25.779 actress was or actor, but you've got some amazing 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.639 actors on your on the roster, don't you? I mean, 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:31.500 you've talked about Dame Harriet Walter. Juliet 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:34.100 Stevenson. Oh, my goodness. It goes on and on. 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:35.980 I'm having a blank. But if you could explain 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:41.079 actors and actresses. Yes, of course. The thing 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:43.920 the great difference between music world and 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:46.560 the drama world is that musicians, as you know, 00:07:46.579 --> 00:07:48.600 get booked up very far in advance. You know, 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:52.060 people are looking for 2027 now, but actors tend 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:54.519 to get. sometimes weeks occasionally even days 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:58.439 in advance um apart from maybe a major play but 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:00.980 they might have six months notice so the problem 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:04.360 i was encountering was that if a certain actor 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:06.439 or actress would say yes they could do that date 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:08.779 when it came to the date they weren't free to 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:10.720 do the date because suddenly they've got a run 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.199 at national theater or they're in a film in hollywood 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:16.579 or something so then i didn't have that actor 00:08:16.579 --> 00:08:21.360 anymore so it became apparent that um you know 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:23.620 you can't run on a system of understudies but 00:08:23.620 --> 00:08:27.600 you can run on a system of a pool of actors who 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.439 are all happy to stand in for one another and 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:33.879 there's no lead person but whoever is available 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:36.200 and it's known that if that person is not available 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:39.200 somebody I would go to somebody else and hopefully 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:43.720 they would be kind enough to step in so I didn't 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:45.659 know any actors at all when I started literally 00:08:45.659 --> 00:08:47.320 none but I've always loved going to the theatre 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:53.129 yeah I was a bit awestruck by these actors. How 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:57.070 did you manage to get them to take part in your 00:08:57.070 --> 00:08:59.370 show? I mean, you didn't know them that well. 00:08:59.549 --> 00:09:02.409 I mean, it's quite remarkable how they have enjoyed 00:09:02.409 --> 00:09:04.850 and continue to enjoy working with you in these 00:09:04.850 --> 00:09:08.450 shows. Well, I think, I mean, in the beginning, 00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:12.889 I literally knew no actors at all. And I wrote 00:09:12.889 --> 00:09:16.129 Cold to a wonderful actor called Malcolm Sinclair, 00:09:16.190 --> 00:09:19.590 who I'd seen in a production of Alan house and 00:09:19.590 --> 00:09:22.470 garden I saw in his biography that he worked 00:09:22.470 --> 00:09:24.889 a lot with the national ensemble so I knew that 00:09:24.889 --> 00:09:28.230 he liked music and I wrote to him via spotlight 00:09:28.230 --> 00:09:30.549 the actress director and said I'm not some bonkers 00:09:30.549 --> 00:09:33.110 musician but I've got a bit of an idea you know 00:09:33.110 --> 00:09:35.730 what do you think and we met for coffee and he 00:09:35.730 --> 00:09:39.029 was lovely and he said don't put don't put any 00:09:39.029 --> 00:09:42.129 extra narration in just use their words and get 00:09:42.129 --> 00:09:47.039 back to me when you've done it so That was really 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:50.559 quite that was quite something. But he did narrate 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:54.299 and has narrated a lot for me in the past. And 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:56.580 then, you know, if he couldn't do it, he might 00:09:56.580 --> 00:09:58.460 suggest somebody else. And if somebody else couldn't 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:00.980 suggest, they might have suggested. But I've 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:04.399 been very fortunate, Erica, that actually a lot 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.379 of these people I work with have become real 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:11.840 friends in my life. So, you know, we it's more 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:15.289 than a working. relationship now and that makes 00:10:15.289 --> 00:10:17.509 it really special because you know sometimes 00:10:17.509 --> 00:10:19.809 for instance if you're going to Scotland we might 00:10:19.809 --> 00:10:21.629 go up the day before so you've got a nice train 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:23.549 journey and then you don't come back till the 00:10:23.549 --> 00:10:25.929 day after so essentially you're hanging out with 00:10:25.929 --> 00:10:28.590 someone for three days and that's a lovely way 00:10:28.590 --> 00:10:33.190 for friendships to form and I feel very I mean, 00:10:33.210 --> 00:10:35.230 Simon Russell Beale and I had the most extraordinary 00:10:35.230 --> 00:10:38.850 time and touring in Southern Ireland as part 00:10:38.850 --> 00:10:42.049 of Finnegan Collins' wonderful festival in Galway. 00:10:42.210 --> 00:10:45.090 And it rained for five days to the point that 00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:47.210 if you would step outside, you would feel you'd 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:50.450 gone in the shower. And I have never laughed 00:10:50.450 --> 00:10:53.870 with somebody so much. And they looked after 00:10:53.870 --> 00:10:56.929 us so well in Galway. The weather was, I have 00:10:56.929 --> 00:10:58.909 no words for the weather, but it's one of those 00:10:58.909 --> 00:11:02.659 memorable times. that I won't forget. And of 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:05.159 course, those things like that are very bonding 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:08.679 experiences. Oh, it sounds amazing. And I know 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.340 you've got so many of them are your friends now. 00:11:11.419 --> 00:11:15.259 It's fantastic. And what's it like working with 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:18.200 actors compared to working with musicians? Do 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:20.120 they see things differently? Do they work differently? 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:23.980 Do they have to prepare as much as a poor concert 00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:28.500 pianist? I think nobody has to prepare as much 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:31.039 as a poor concert pianist. I mean, Well, you 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:34.100 know, we we we're locked in our room for days 00:11:34.100 --> 00:11:38.240 and days and hours and weeks. And so, no, I mean, 00:11:38.259 --> 00:11:40.799 if any of them were here now, nobody would say 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:42.980 that they would spend eight weeks on on a script. 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:46.480 But they do take it seriously. And often they'll 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.100 ask really interesting questions about the script. 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:51.379 Or they might say, I don't think the sentence 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:55.600 works here. Why don't we move it? Or what what 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:58.360 was the context of this? So they do for sure. 00:11:58.750 --> 00:12:00.629 I mean, nobody's just turning up and reading 00:12:00.629 --> 00:12:04.570 it. Work goes into it. And then we'll work on 00:12:04.570 --> 00:12:09.470 the actual day and try to make it seamless. And 00:12:09.470 --> 00:12:11.830 then sometimes, such as in my Rachmaninoff show, 00:12:12.129 --> 00:12:14.570 Henry Goodman is another wonderful actor, as 00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:18.070 you know, I work with, who had a fantastic idea 00:12:18.070 --> 00:12:21.470 about starting with a pre -recorded telegram 00:12:21.470 --> 00:12:24.490 that had been sent to Rachmaninoff on his deathbed. 00:12:24.610 --> 00:12:27.360 And he said, I think we should pre -record it 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:30.000 and play it through speakers at the start of 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:31.919 the show. And I said, no, no, no, that's going 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:33.740 to be a nightmare because you've got to get the 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:38.539 recording to all the venues in advance. But actually, 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.639 even though it is logistically a little bit of 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:45.419 a nightmare, it makes a huge difference because 00:12:45.419 --> 00:12:47.399 I know you've seen my Rachmaninoff show, but 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:50.419 this is... blasted out through the speakers before 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:53.460 he even comes on the stage and then he comes 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:56.519 on very and then suddenly he's in the body of 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:59.440 Rachmaninoff really you feel you're with Rachmaninoff 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:02.679 on the stage so and similarly Harriet with iClara 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:05.860 has come up with some staging ideas so these 00:13:05.860 --> 00:13:08.220 are not staged shows but sometimes they come 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:10.759 up with great ideas that I could never have thought 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:13.220 of because I'm not an actor or a director but 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:16.960 um you know it's it's it's interesting to learn 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.059 about that Has it ever happened? And of course, 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:22.120 you don't have to mention any names where you've 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:26.320 asked a certain actor to do one of your shows 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:30.559 and it just hasn't worked. Yes, I think sometimes 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:32.720 you don't. It has happened a couple of times, 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:36.600 not recently, but in the more distant past where 00:13:36.600 --> 00:13:40.080 you can see it's not particularly something that 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:42.740 they would want to do further on and didn't take 00:13:42.740 --> 00:13:47.669 it quite as seriously. But not to any large, 00:13:47.769 --> 00:13:50.870 large extent. I think, you know, all the people 00:13:50.870 --> 00:13:54.370 I work with are, you know, we're a close -knit 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:58.590 little team. And so, no, not anymore. Maybe a 00:13:58.590 --> 00:14:02.210 long time ago, but not these days. Okay. Yeah. 00:14:02.309 --> 00:14:05.970 Okay. Well, talking of the repertoire that goes 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:08.549 into these shows, most of it, apart from maybe 00:14:08.549 --> 00:14:13.149 Debussy, but most of it. It's romantic. And I 00:14:13.149 --> 00:14:15.769 think your repertoire is diverse, but I noticed 00:14:15.769 --> 00:14:17.610 there is a leaning towards a romantic style, 00:14:17.750 --> 00:14:20.009 especially Schumann and Brahms. Is this the music 00:14:20.009 --> 00:14:24.690 that you love? Oh, it really is. I mean, Schumann, 00:14:24.690 --> 00:14:29.409 Chopin, Brahms are my absolute. Actually, and 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:31.429 Rachmaninoff. You're right. They're all romantic. 00:14:31.649 --> 00:14:35.409 How could I say otherwise? It's always, since 00:14:35.409 --> 00:14:38.590 I was a child, that was the music that just drew 00:14:38.590 --> 00:14:42.120 me in, spoke to me. And how can you not love 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:46.759 these composers? And we all play that game, don't 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:48.340 we? If you were on a desert island and you can 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:50.759 only take one composer, who would it be? Well, 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:52.360 I'm going to ask you that later. I'm going to 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:57.120 ask you that later. So hold tight there. No, 00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:59.840 I know you mentioned these great composers. What 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:03.240 about Clara Schumann? I notice, I believe you 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:05.600 were the first to record both the Clara and Robert 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:09.789 Schumann concertos onto one album. Yes, you know, 00:15:09.809 --> 00:15:13.730 in the mid 90s, in 1996, it was the 100th anniversary 00:15:13.730 --> 00:15:17.330 of her death. And obviously, you know, for people 00:15:17.330 --> 00:15:19.210 listening, Clara Schumann is incredibly popular 00:15:19.210 --> 00:15:23.730 today. But in the 90s, almost nobody played her 00:15:23.730 --> 00:15:27.350 music. And the interest was just not there. But 00:15:27.350 --> 00:15:29.230 I always loved it. And I thought it had such 00:15:29.230 --> 00:15:34.350 a unique voice. Obviously not in the same league 00:15:34.350 --> 00:15:37.029 as Robert's music, but it's beautiful music. 00:15:37.190 --> 00:15:40.429 It's incredible that she wrote what she did under 00:15:40.429 --> 00:15:43.389 the circumstances that she lived in and having 00:15:43.389 --> 00:15:45.730 really very little chance to study composition. 00:15:47.429 --> 00:15:49.750 And of course, she was the most extraordinary 00:15:49.750 --> 00:15:53.590 pianist that we have known apart from Liszt. 00:15:53.750 --> 00:15:56.490 So the fact that she composed as well is really 00:15:56.490 --> 00:15:59.230 extraordinary. And in the 90s, nobody was playing 00:15:59.230 --> 00:16:01.289 her music. So I did do a concert at the Wigmore 00:16:01.289 --> 00:16:06.169 Hall. to commemorate her 100th anniversary which 00:16:06.169 --> 00:16:11.629 was a combination of both of their pieces and 00:16:11.629 --> 00:16:14.269 with a big major work of Schumann in each half 00:16:14.269 --> 00:16:18.049 as well. I played Carnival and also Chryslerianna 00:16:18.049 --> 00:16:22.629 and a lot of her shorter pieces and then that 00:16:22.629 --> 00:16:26.159 year also I recorded the piano concerto of Robert 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:28.279 and the piano concerto of Clara and her beautiful 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:31.059 concert sets, which is, she didn't finish, but 00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:35.600 was finished by a wonderful musicologist. And 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.899 so I recorded that. And I believe at the time 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:42.320 that was the first coupling. I may be wrong, 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:44.059 but that was the first coupling. And certainly 00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:46.919 in this country, people were not, it was always 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:48.799 Greek and Schumann. You remember you'd have those, 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.620 the Schumann went with the Greek, not with the 00:16:51.620 --> 00:16:55.700 Clara. So I'm both in a minor. Interesting. It's 00:16:55.700 --> 00:16:59.200 30 odd years ago now. It's remarkable. Well, 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:01.320 I mean, I can tell performing, of course, is 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:06.039 a big part of your life. But you obviously teaching 00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:08.220 is important, too. You're a professor at the 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:11.500 Guildhall. And of course, you're a regular writer 00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:15.299 for our advanced how to play column inside pianist. 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:18.740 I mean, teaching is an important part of your 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:23.019 musical life. I think it's for me, it's a really 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:26.710 important. apart and I've learned so much through 00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:31.069 teaching because then when you're practicing 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:33.430 you think oh am I doing what I'm saying how would 00:17:33.430 --> 00:17:36.390 I explain this to somebody else and also things 00:17:36.390 --> 00:17:39.670 that you take for granted that aren't too difficult 00:17:39.670 --> 00:17:42.750 to do somebody else may find challenging and 00:17:42.750 --> 00:17:45.950 you have to work out how you do that and conversely 00:17:45.950 --> 00:17:49.869 the other way you know sometimes I have students 00:17:49.869 --> 00:17:53.230 who can play things with such ease that I You 00:17:53.230 --> 00:17:55.069 know, I couldn't believe it. It would take me, 00:17:55.069 --> 00:17:57.930 you know, days and days and days to be able weeks 00:17:57.930 --> 00:18:00.509 and weeks. So it teaches you a lot about yourself 00:18:00.509 --> 00:18:02.789 and about other people because, you know, we've 00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:06.609 all got different personalities. And it's it's 00:18:06.609 --> 00:18:10.910 a very good thing to do for a musician. I think 00:18:10.910 --> 00:18:13.970 one needs a lot of patience, but I get so much 00:18:13.970 --> 00:18:16.950 back from that. I feel it's a great privilege 00:18:16.950 --> 00:18:19.930 for me. Oh, that's fantastic. I mean, you yourself 00:18:19.930 --> 00:18:23.339 had a great teacher in Joan Havel. I did. You 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:25.480 know, she was an extraordinary teacher. And I 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:27.480 always say to this day that I don't think I'd 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:30.140 be playing the piano now had I not met her. She 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:35.039 totally I was a 16 year old who really needed 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:38.440 a lot of technical help and support. And she 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:41.779 she was the first person who really believed 00:18:41.779 --> 00:18:44.500 in me and said, you know, you could you could 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:47.849 do this. And we worked very well together because 00:18:47.849 --> 00:18:50.230 she gave 100 percent and I gave 100 percent. 00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:53.089 And that in a teacher student relationship is 00:18:53.089 --> 00:18:56.309 always the that, you know, I wanted to learn. 00:18:56.349 --> 00:18:59.109 I was hungry to learn and to be helped. And she 00:18:59.109 --> 00:19:03.210 was she I absolutely owe so much to her. Wow. 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:05.769 And was she the she was the teacher behind you 00:19:05.769 --> 00:19:10.670 when you won the 1984 piano category of young 00:19:10.670 --> 00:19:13.630 musician? She was. I'd only just gone to her, 00:19:13.630 --> 00:19:15.309 actually. And funny enough, there's a tiny little 00:19:15.309 --> 00:19:19.230 story attached to this that my first lesson with 00:19:19.230 --> 00:19:23.490 her was the morning after the 19, the previous 00:19:23.490 --> 00:19:27.109 competition. And I'd heard it on the television 00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:29.430 and I'd been eliminated from that competition, 00:19:29.509 --> 00:19:31.849 I think, in the first or second round. And I'd 00:19:31.849 --> 00:19:33.710 gone to her house and I said, oh, you know, it 00:19:33.710 --> 00:19:36.150 was wonderful. And she said, well, if you work 00:19:36.150 --> 00:19:38.250 hard, you could win that next time. And I thought. 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:41.819 You're mad. You know who? Obviously, I could 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:43.940 never win it. And she said, yeah, we'll work 00:19:43.940 --> 00:19:47.200 really hard and you could win it. And it really 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:49.460 made me think a lot about the power of positive 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:53.380 thoughts with teaching and really getting, you 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:55.579 know, encouraging somebody. Of course, nobody 00:19:55.579 --> 00:19:58.359 knew if you could win or not win. But the belief 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:01.779 that you could was enough to fire you up and 00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:04.619 keep you going. Yes, you could say that. But 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:06.240 obviously, she did have faith in you. She could 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.200 see something there. you know well one would 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:16.039 one one would hope so well she was right wasn't 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:18.220 she and that really did launch your career and 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:21.079 one could say right i think do you know what 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:24.779 i mean back in the day in the 80s it it was it's 00:20:24.779 --> 00:20:27.000 not that it's not a huge competition now because 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.839 it is but i think uh the fact that they were 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:32.539 we only had four or five channels you know so 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:36.940 And the final was live on BBC Two. And I'd only 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:39.619 played about three concertos in my life with 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:41.720 a local youth orchestra. So can you imagine the 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:45.039 pressure to play live on the television with 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:49.140 BBC Philharmonic? I mean, it was massive. I was 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:54.079 only 17 or 18. So, but the coverage, I remember 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:56.059 going to do my driving test a couple of days 00:20:56.059 --> 00:21:00.819 later in Guildford. You have to do reversing 00:21:00.819 --> 00:21:02.859 round a corner. And I clicked the corner and 00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:05.539 the driving instructor said to me, oh, you clicked 00:21:05.539 --> 00:21:07.240 the corner. He said, but I think you've been 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:10.079 very busy this weekend playing the piano. So 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.640 why don't we have another go? So he sort of it 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:17.180 was just such a nice thing to do. Even the driving 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:21.180 instructor had seen it on the telly. Yes. Goodness, 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:23.440 that's remarkable. Examiner, not instructor, 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:29.609 examiner. It was the actual test. So, yes, funny 00:21:29.609 --> 00:21:32.089 little things like that. But it's a long time 00:21:32.089 --> 00:21:35.430 ago now. Yeah. Well, talking of TV, I'm now going 00:21:35.430 --> 00:21:39.390 to turn to radio. And you enjoy presenting on 00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:42.130 both Radio 3 and Radio 4 as well, don't you? 00:21:42.930 --> 00:21:45.009 Yeah. You know, I've really enjoyed doing the 00:21:45.009 --> 00:21:47.309 radio. I've always loved radio since I was a... 00:21:47.609 --> 00:21:49.710 kid I used to sort of burrow down my bed with 00:21:49.710 --> 00:21:51.430 a radio and a single earphone when I was about 00:21:51.430 --> 00:21:54.190 eight so as a medium it's always something I'd 00:21:54.190 --> 00:21:56.470 I've loved probably more than television actually 00:21:56.470 --> 00:21:59.970 and would choose it as a medium but um it's been 00:21:59.970 --> 00:22:03.349 a great privilege to do programs and sometimes 00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:05.269 I do some record review or building a library 00:22:05.269 --> 00:22:08.109 um various programs like that on radio three 00:22:08.109 --> 00:22:11.130 and I've made some features for radio four and 00:22:11.130 --> 00:22:14.789 it's a joy to go and chat to people and explore 00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:17.789 other things about music and you know the microphone 00:22:17.789 --> 00:22:20.950 is your friend and it's very different from television 00:22:20.950 --> 00:22:23.430 and there's an intimacy about it that I think 00:22:23.430 --> 00:22:26.789 is very appealing to me so I've enjoyed doing 00:22:26.789 --> 00:22:29.730 it and feel grateful for all those opportunities 00:22:29.730 --> 00:22:33.829 to do that because it engages my brain in another 00:22:33.829 --> 00:22:36.160 way which is a good idea. Well, absolutely. And 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:38.740 I really enjoy listening to some of your building 00:22:38.740 --> 00:22:41.579 libraries on Radio 3. And I mean, I know sometimes 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:45.039 you're given something like Rack 3 or the Schumann 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:48.500 Concerto. Surely it must take so much preparation 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:50.720 for these programmes when you've got so many 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:55.980 recordings to compare. Yeah, I mean, it's a it's 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:58.839 a huge task because actually and I think what 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:00.559 a lot of people don't realise when they listen 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.759 and. for a very good reason because why would 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.640 you but you can only have eight or nine recordings 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:08.539 in your final pick so you're always going to 00:23:08.539 --> 00:23:10.440 leave out somebody's favorite it's impossible 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:12.339 with those pieces you've just mentioned there 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:15.059 are so many standards benchmark and wonderful 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:17.819 recordings so it's just a little snapshot and 00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:20.619 sometimes I like to include pieces interpretations 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:24.390 that aren't so well known to you know open the 00:23:24.390 --> 00:23:27.789 the daughter somebody else who I've enjoyed very 00:23:27.789 --> 00:23:31.250 much but maybe isn't one of the most famous pianists 00:23:31.250 --> 00:23:33.369 in the world that that's a nice to be able to 00:23:33.369 --> 00:23:38.549 to do that and um actually on the 27th of this 00:23:38.549 --> 00:23:41.289 month I'm going to be doing um Christ Liriana 00:23:41.289 --> 00:23:43.769 for building a library which is a piece very 00:23:43.769 --> 00:23:46.369 close to my own heart and ironically I've actually 00:23:46.369 --> 00:23:49.490 recorded it myself although obviously that will 00:23:49.490 --> 00:23:53.240 not be In the programme. But it's a lot of work, 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:58.839 as you say, and a lot of study. And it gives 00:23:58.839 --> 00:24:01.200 me a lot to think about. I think it's a very 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:04.079 interesting job to do. How wonderful. So that's 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:07.400 the 27th of December. That's the 27th on radio. 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:11.220 The afternoon of Saturday, the 27th. Record review. 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:14.319 It's building a library. Fantastic. Oh, exciting. 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:18.529 I'll be listening. OK, right. We're now going 00:24:18.529 --> 00:24:20.289 to ask you a few questions. I'm going to ask 00:24:20.289 --> 00:24:22.150 you a few questions and we're going to go back 00:24:22.150 --> 00:24:25.390 to that one desert island question. So these 00:24:25.390 --> 00:24:27.750 are some light hearted questions that I'd like 00:24:27.750 --> 00:24:30.730 to pose to you. First one being, if you could 00:24:30.730 --> 00:24:33.730 play only one composer from now on, who would 00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:36.910 it be? For me, that's quite easy, actually, that 00:24:36.910 --> 00:24:45.099 Brahms. Wow. OK. Yeah. Why? Because. I mean, 00:24:45.140 --> 00:24:47.240 Schumann coming in a very, very close second 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.700 with Chopin. But there's something about Brahms 00:24:49.700 --> 00:24:54.640 that just touches my soul so much that I couldn't 00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:59.160 live without his music, even though it's a relatively 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:03.240 small output compared with Beethoven or some 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:05.579 of the other composers. But that is the music. 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:09.180 And I include in that all the symphonies and 00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:12.400 the double concerto and all of it. That would 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:15.369 be... If I could only take one away, it would 00:25:15.369 --> 00:25:18.750 be his complete work, songs, everything. Fantastic. 00:25:19.109 --> 00:25:22.809 OK, next question. One pianist, dead or alive, 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:29.210 you'd travel long and far to hear? Oh, that's 00:25:29.210 --> 00:25:34.509 a very, very difficult question. Dead or alive. 00:25:35.809 --> 00:25:42.250 My goodness. I mean, probably Horowitz. Oh, OK. 00:25:42.490 --> 00:25:44.849 I would say. But, you know, I'd quite like to 00:25:44.849 --> 00:25:47.470 have heard Clara Schumann. I figured you'd say 00:25:47.470 --> 00:25:49.769 that. Have you heard Horowitz? Have you heard 00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:54.170 Horowitz live? Never heard him live, no. I have 00:25:54.170 --> 00:25:57.130 many of his recordings, of course. And there 00:25:57.130 --> 00:26:00.710 are so many wonderful pianists in the world, 00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:03.349 that's a difficult one to answer. Of course. 00:26:04.150 --> 00:26:07.390 One person, dead or alive, you would like to 00:26:07.390 --> 00:26:13.240 play for? Ooh. I think I'd have to say Clara 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:15.519 to that one, wouldn't I? I mean, you know, I 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:17.240 think she could give me a few tips on playing 00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:21.359 her music. What about Robert as well? Maybe the 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:23.259 two of them together? Maybe the two of them. 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:30.619 Maybe we could have a private soiree. OK, next 00:26:30.619 --> 00:26:32.779 question. Do you have any technical struggles 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:38.339 at the piano? Oh, loads. Absolutely. I think 00:26:38.339 --> 00:26:42.369 there were so many. Every piece is full of technical 00:26:42.369 --> 00:26:44.130 struggles, even what one doesn't think of as 00:26:44.130 --> 00:26:47.910 technique, you know, to play a beautiful cantabile 00:26:47.910 --> 00:26:51.309 piece with the most amazing sound and legato 00:26:51.309 --> 00:26:53.950 projection. This is also technique, but it's 00:26:53.950 --> 00:26:55.910 not just about running around in double thirds. 00:26:56.109 --> 00:26:58.190 But running around in double thirds is also quite 00:26:58.190 --> 00:27:02.430 tricky. So, yes, it's all tricky. But, you know, 00:27:02.509 --> 00:27:06.190 that's why we do it. So there are obviously pieces 00:27:06.190 --> 00:27:08.549 that I am not going to play because there are 00:27:08.549 --> 00:27:11.369 people who can play them much better. So now 00:27:11.369 --> 00:27:14.650 that I'm older, I like to think more about the 00:27:14.650 --> 00:27:17.529 pieces that really suit me and leave the other 00:27:17.529 --> 00:27:21.170 rep, much as I love it, to people who can really 00:27:21.170 --> 00:27:23.710 knock it out of the park. That's a very, very 00:27:23.710 --> 00:27:27.230 clever idea. Absolutely. What would be your advice 00:27:27.230 --> 00:27:31.970 to an amateur pianist about how to improve? Oh, 00:27:32.009 --> 00:27:34.150 well, I think. Funnily enough, I've taught a 00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:37.009 lot of amateur pianists over the years. And I 00:27:37.009 --> 00:27:44.309 would say it's consistency. It's about, you may 00:27:44.309 --> 00:27:46.609 know that I'm a bit of a gym bunny as well. And 00:27:46.609 --> 00:27:49.190 it's a similar kind of thing. It's little and 00:27:49.190 --> 00:27:52.809 often. And it's not that crash to our practice 00:27:52.809 --> 00:27:55.329 the day before your lesson. It's getting to the 00:27:55.329 --> 00:27:58.410 piano every day, even if it's for 15 minutes. 00:27:59.789 --> 00:28:02.349 It's always better to do a little bit well. than 00:28:02.349 --> 00:28:06.829 to try and do a lot roughly and take it. So I 00:28:06.829 --> 00:28:08.769 often say to my students, it's like having a 00:28:08.769 --> 00:28:10.670 set of Lego and you've got to build a house out 00:28:10.670 --> 00:28:12.809 of it. You have to start with that first bit 00:28:12.809 --> 00:28:15.630 of Lego and start to build the foundations. So 00:28:15.630 --> 00:28:19.289 a little bit every day would be my advice. Goodness, 00:28:19.490 --> 00:28:22.609 do you go to the gym every day? I go to the gym 00:28:22.609 --> 00:28:26.329 at least four times a week, yeah. My goodness, 00:28:26.369 --> 00:28:28.609 and does that help you relax a bit away from 00:28:28.609 --> 00:28:35.460 the piano? It's not very relaxing. this is not 00:28:35.460 --> 00:28:40.859 this is not relevant to our webinar but um i 00:28:40.859 --> 00:28:44.460 was diagnosed with osteoporosis and they wanted 00:28:44.460 --> 00:28:47.319 to have all kinds of things to help me with that 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:48.839 but then somebody said oh you can go and lift 00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:50.359 weights and it helps and i got a bit addicted 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:53.680 so something else took me there and now i really 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:55.599 enjoy going and i think it's very good for the 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.980 for the for the mind and i'm with all these you 00:28:58.980 --> 00:29:01.900 know men with big muscles and uh it's quite It's 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:04.119 a different part of my life. That is fantastic. 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:09.099 I get it. I get it. If you weren't a pianist, 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:14.920 what would you be? Don't laugh. I always wanted 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:20.019 to be a detective. I'm trying not to laugh. Great. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:24.019 Why? I really kind of fancied. I often thought 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:25.880 about, you know, joining the police, becoming 00:29:25.880 --> 00:29:28.140 a detective. I don't know. I probably read too 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:33.430 many crime novels. Yeah, I would have, I think, 00:29:33.470 --> 00:29:35.930 enjoyed that. I don't know whether I would have, 00:29:36.009 --> 00:29:40.150 but it's something I thought about when I was 00:29:40.150 --> 00:29:45.049 younger. So the moment has passed now. That's 00:29:45.049 --> 00:29:48.029 so interesting. I think it would be a very, very 00:29:48.029 --> 00:29:51.950 interesting career, actually. Yes. Something 00:29:51.950 --> 00:29:55.609 a bit left field. Wonderful. OK, last question. 00:29:55.710 --> 00:29:59.230 One composer you're not quite ready to tackle. 00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:04.299 That's a very good question because one of my 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:07.839 favourite composers, for obvious reasons, is 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:11.119 Bach. I couldn't live without his music. And 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:15.000 yet I don't think I've ever programmed his music 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.940 in a recital. Wow. Even though I have played 00:30:17.940 --> 00:30:21.740 quite a lot of it, but I don't feel comfortable 00:30:21.740 --> 00:30:26.900 playing his music on stage. And that's just because 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:31.720 of the way it suits me, suits my hands. But I 00:30:31.720 --> 00:30:35.500 love it with a passion and will listen a lot, 00:30:35.579 --> 00:30:37.579 not obviously just to the keyboard, but all his 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:42.519 outputs. So I would have to say Bach is, if one's 00:30:42.519 --> 00:30:45.420 talking about standard, not slightly left field. 00:30:45.660 --> 00:30:48.140 That's so interesting. What about then Mozart, 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:50.339 Scarlatti? Do you feel the same a bit there? 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:53.500 No, not really, because I've played a lot of 00:30:53.500 --> 00:30:55.440 those. I've played lots of Mozart concerti over 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:58.720 the years and many Scarlatti sonatas and things. 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:03.789 So, yeah. Bach is very, very difficult for pianists, 00:31:03.789 --> 00:31:06.329 I think. And there are so many wonderful Bach 00:31:06.329 --> 00:31:09.710 experts that I feel that's their territory. And 00:31:09.710 --> 00:31:11.670 I would not impose upon that because I wouldn't 00:31:11.670 --> 00:31:14.069 do it as well. It's so vast that it's almost 00:31:14.069 --> 00:31:17.269 a whole career in itself, isn't it? You're right, 00:31:17.349 --> 00:31:19.990 it is. And I think if we think of the great Bach 00:31:19.990 --> 00:31:23.569 specialists in our world, most of them do focus 00:31:23.569 --> 00:31:26.849 on that area very strongly. It's not all they 00:31:26.849 --> 00:31:29.119 play, but they're very well. If you think of 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:33.180 people like Schiff and Angela Hewitt, these are 00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:37.299 people, you know, for for playing. Yeah, absolutely. 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:40.079 Oh, Lucy, it's been such a pleasure having you 00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:43.700 on the podcast and we've come to the end. What 00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:46.099 can I say? What are you up to? What are you up 00:31:46.099 --> 00:31:49.940 to this week? Busy week ahead. A busy week ahead. 00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:53.660 I run a series called Shackleford Concerts in 00:31:53.660 --> 00:31:56.920 Surrey. And we always have a Christmas concert, 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:59.799 which is a lot of fun. We have narrators and 00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:02.200 Christmas music. And I'm playing some duets with 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:04.920 wonderful pianist Richard Sisson. So I am busy 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:08.359 doing things for that to get that concert off 00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:13.240 the ground. And it's festive fun. Oh, how lovely. 00:32:13.299 --> 00:32:16.099 When is that concert? That's on the 18th of... 00:32:16.349 --> 00:32:19.710 December in Surrey. It's sort of near the Guildford 00:32:19.710 --> 00:32:22.829 area. If anyone wanted to come, it's on the website. 00:32:22.829 --> 00:32:24.390 It's called Shackle for Concerts. And it's a 00:32:24.390 --> 00:32:28.450 mixture of readings and music. And we have Susan 00:32:28.450 --> 00:32:30.930 Bullock singing and Lisa Friend playing the flute 00:32:30.930 --> 00:32:34.150 and Joanna David and Freddie Fox narrating. So 00:32:34.150 --> 00:32:37.930 we've got a lovely Tom Elwyn singing. It's going 00:32:37.930 --> 00:32:40.450 to be a fantastic lineup. And we have a lot of 00:32:40.450 --> 00:32:42.450 fun. We do a matinee in the evening and a lot 00:32:42.450 --> 00:32:46.519 of laughter is had, as you can imagine. Fantastic. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:49.559 OK, well, you know, hope all goes well in the 00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:52.460 rehearsals next week. Thank you. And I hope you 00:32:52.460 --> 00:32:54.279 have a lovely Christmas. You're doing such a 00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:57.099 brilliant job with the magazine. We're very lucky 00:32:57.099 --> 00:33:00.440 to have you and the magazine. Oh, thank you so 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:03.539 much, Lucy. Thank you very much for joining us 00:33:03.539 --> 00:33:06.180 today. It's a pleasure. Happy Christmas. Happy 00:33:06.180 --> 00:33:36.029 Christmas. Bye bye. That was Liszt's Un Sospiro 00:33:36.029 --> 00:33:39.329 and it was performed by Lucy Parham. Pianist 00:33:39.329 --> 00:33:41.650 podcasts are free and a really good way to support 00:33:41.650 --> 00:33:44.789 what we do is by subscribing to Pianist. Visit 00:33:44.789 --> 00:33:48.210 our website at pianistmagazine .com and listen 00:33:48.210 --> 00:33:51.009 to us on YouTube by searching Pianist Magazine. 00:33:51.410 --> 00:33:53.730 And don't forget to sign up to our newsletter, 00:33:53.970 --> 00:33:56.849 which is full of extra playing tips and useful 00:33:56.849 --> 00:34:00.869 information. Go to pianistmagazine .com to find 00:34:00.869 --> 00:34:02.109 out how to sign up.