Earnest meets eccentric as Sir Andrew Davis leads us through Beethoven鈥檚 self-described 鈥渓ittle鈥� Eighth Symphony , a seemingly light-hearted romp, with a quirky sense of humour. The Symphony鈥檚 duality complements the serious nature of Tippett鈥檚 Senegal-inspired The Rose Lake, complete with its shimmering textures and sky-bound melodies, one of his final works, heard here twenty-five years after his death. The programme is completed by music from Humperdinck鈥檚 whimsical opera Hansel and Gretel, which sketches out the playfully unsettling fairy tale with charmingly folky tunes and glorious orchestration.
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Pre-concert entertainment
6.30pm In Stalls Caf茅 Bar
Ahead of the concert, Royal Northern College of Music students Yi Su, Yinuo Jiang, and Mingshan Zhong are performing in the Stalls Caf茅 Bar.
Pre-concert programme
Mozart Piano Sonata (Yi Sun)
Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 9 (Yinuo Jiang)
Debussy Por le piano (Mingshan Zhong)
Yi Sun - Yi Sun was born in Kunming, China and she started playing the piano at the age of 4 after watching videos of renowned pianists and developing an admiration of them. Yi has participated in several piano competitions, including the Accademia Musicale Romana 7th International Competition Youth Academy Award 2017, in which she won First Prize at the age of 14. She was also awarded First Prize in the 3rd Euregio International Competition at the age of 16. Yi is currently studying for her undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music under Bingbing Li. She enjoys playing works composed by Romantic composers and some later works.
Yinuo Jiang - Born into a musical family in China, Yinuo Jiang started learning piano at the age of 6. She went on to major in music at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou where she studied piano under the tutelage of Professor Xiaodong Nai and Min Yue. As an undergraduate student, Yinuo won first prize in the 11th Asia Youth Piano Festival and the Sino-French Debussy International Piano Competition. She achieved a Distinction in her degree and was awarded a government scholarship. Yinuo now studies at the Royal Northern College of Music under the internationally renowned pianist, Bingbing L. Yinuo is also studying piano accompaniment with David Jones and greatly enjoys collaborating with other musicians including cello, violin, and marimba.
Mingshan Zhong - Born in China in 1999, Mingshan began learning the piano at the age of 7. She studied under Professor Jintian Kang, Associate Professor of the Piano Teaching and Research Group of Shenzhen Art School, and Chinese pianist, Dr Le Kang, in Shenzhen. Mingshan has participated in the Singapore International Youth Piano Competition and Shenzhen Piano Open Competition and was awarded the first and second prizes in different groups and sixth place as an amateur player. Mingshan studied for a bachelor鈥檚 degree at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music School in China Study in Hangzhou from 2016 to 2020, receiving tuition from Mei Zhu, Deputy Director of the Piano Department, and Qin Han, graduate of the Yale University of Music. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020. Since 2021, Mingshan has been studying for a master鈥檚 degree in piano performance at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester under the internationally renowned pianist, Stephen Savage.
Yi, Yinuo and Mingshan appear by kind permission of the RNCM.