Lamb & Hayward Masterworks: Pictures at an Exhibition

For our last concert in the Air Force Museum, the CSO takes a musical gallery tour of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Inspired by images created by friend and artist Victor Hartmann, the brilliant orchestration of Ravel takes us into the peculiar world of gnomes, down into the depths of the Parisian Catacombs, before reaching The Great Gate of Kiev complete with pealing bells.

Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is one of the world’s most beloved piano concertos, often described as the best piano concerto ever written according to ClassicFM, and we’re delighted to welcome pianist Jayson Gillham to perform this magnificent piece with us.

Having won the 2014 Montreal International Music Competition, Jayson now performs regularly with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic and the Hallé Orchestra. His debut album for ABC Classics, released in 2016 and featuring works by Bach, Schubert and Chopin immediately reached No. 1 in both the Core Classical and Classical Crossover ARIA charts. His recent recording, featuring Medtner’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey, was nominated the best classical album in the 2017 ARIA awards.

“Virtuosity is a given at the level at which Gillham works and throughout this programme virtuosity was much on display, but it was his extraordinary interpretive skill that left me overwhelmed… There is nothing showy here, just simplicity and a determination to make each note sing with the voice the composer intended. Awe inspiring.” ~ Limelight magazine.

“The performance was nothing short of exquisite: a subtlety of tone, so difficult to distinguish on the piano was seemingly effortlessly achieved by the soloist, making for a captivating and moving interpretation.” ~ The Edge, UK