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Evgeny Kissin

Evgeny Kissin looking up

Celebrated pianist Evgeny Kissin sweeps us across musical and geographic landscapes, revealing the vast breadth of the piano’s expressive range as well as that of his own imagination.

Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue are wildly virtuosic and impressive but also deeply satisfying harmonically and emotionally. We find 21-year-old Mozart in a calmer, good-natured mood, with one of his slow movements that suspends all time and care. From 18th-century Austria we’re whisked away to Asian pagodas, summer nights in Spain and rainy days in Normandy by Debussy, who finds whole new colours and impressionistic textures along the way. Rachmaninov’s Etude-Tableaux tap into other worlds of subtle tints and shades in this most visually evocative of programmes.

Since coming to fame as a child prodigy in the 1980s, Kissin has become one of the great pianists of our time. Crossing musical eras he revels in the entire range of the instrument with increasing passion and virtuosity in one of the piano events of the year.

This performance will finish at approximately 9.30pm, including a 20-minute interval

Please note change of programme to originally advertised. Evgeny has shared the following personal note about his choice of piece: 

'For me this polonaise is clearly about the tragedy of the Polish people who were victims of the Russian imperialism in Chopin’s time. I think the parallels with the current situation are very obvious.'

Produced by the Barbican

Digital programme

Evgeny Kissin

Evgeny Kissin

Evgeny Kissin revels in the expressive possibilities of the piano, beginning with JS Bach and ending with selected works by Rachmaninov to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth. Read our free digital programme to find out more.

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