Emil Holmström & Timothy Young

Ludwig van Beethoven’s last piano sonata is particularly impressive, with its towering second movement pushing the limits of musical invention. The great German pianist Hans von Bülow, assistant to Franz Liszt and the first pianist to perform all Beethoven sonatas as a cycle, described the two movements of the sonata as samsara and nirvana. Liszt himself was very concerned with the meaninglessness of life in his famous Totentanz, a set of variations describing representatives of different social classes dancing towards their end with the guidance of Death itself. Originally a piece for piano and orchestra, Timothy Young and Emil Holmström will tackle it in a virtuoso arrangement for two pianists fighting for room in front of one keyboard.

The program also features a greeting from Finland with Ilari Kaila’s Taonta (Forging). An accomplished pianist and composer, Kaila continues the tradition of Beethoven and Liszt in evoking beautiful sonic images derived from a thorough understanding of the keyboard and its possibilities.

This concert pairs with Beethoven’s Influence Vol. 1 (Thursday 15 April), a deep dive into Beethoven and his influence on what has since been written for cello and piano, with ACO principal cellist and fellow Finn, Timo-Veikko Valve.

PROGRAM

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor  Op.111

- interval -

Ilari KAILA Taonta (2016)

Franz LISZT Totentanz (arranged for four hands by Holmström/Karakorpi)
with special guest Timothy Young

Finnish pianist Emil Holmström has been described as an aesthete. Not in the sense of having an immutable style that has always remained intact, but rather, one that has consistently been the result of conscious choices, whether regarding his outfit, a detail of interior decoration at home, the planning of a concert program, or very concrete aesthetic considerations in a particular piano piece. Emil has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble keyboard player throughout Europe, the Americas, Japan, and Australia. An ardent champion of new music, Holmström is a member Finnish groups defunensemble and the Grammy Award-winning Uusinta Ensemble, and plays as a regular guest with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra. 

For a four-hand arrangement of Liszt's Totentanz, Emil is joined by Timothy Young, who is one of Australia’s most prominent and versatile pianists. He is frequently praised by critics for both his sensitive musicianship and ability to draw a veritable orchestral palette of sound from the piano. For 20 years he has been a Resident Artist at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and is the Head of Piano, training Australia’s most talented young musicians

TICKETS $45 | Concession $30

Online sales close at 7:30pm on the day of the concert. Tickets can be purchased at the door, subject to availability. Tempo Rubato is a cashless venue.