Musica Viva Australia is thrilled to present Chopin’s Piano, a stunning fusion of chamber music and theatrical performances honouring Frederick Chopin’s revolutionary 24 Preludes, as well as the history of a small, craftsman’s pianino.
In this captivating performance the brilliant pianist Aura Go, a Musica Viva Australia FutureMakers alumnus, returns to the stage, accompanied by the acclaimed Jennifer Vuletic (Foxtel’s Wentworth, Belvoir & Malthouse Theatre’s Looking for Alibrandi) directed by Richard Pyros, to tell the story of this singular instrument, the works composed on it the artist who created them, and the changing value of music over time.
Written by Musica Viva Australia’s Artistic Director, Paul Kildea, author of the definitive novel on the topic, Chopin’s Piano: A Journey Through Romanticism with Richard Pyros, this one-of-a-kind production draws on an inspiring cast of real-life characters, weaving together a complete performance of the spellbinding 24 Preludes with magical storytelling, to trace the rich history and ultimate fate of the Majorcan piano.
“In 1829 Chopin wrote to his closer friend Titus, ‘I tell my piano things which once I used to tell you.’ And so he continued to do for the remaining twenty years of his life, amassing the most astonishing collection of piano works,” said Paul Kildea.
“Yet what if the only piano to hand was a humble instrument, built by a craftsman on the island of Majorca in the 1830s, to which Chopin poured out his heart?
“This is the starting point of Chopin’s Piano, a theatrical staging of a book I wrote about the instrument on which Chopin completed his twenty-four Preludes, great miniature-monuments of the nineteenth century, and the fate of this sacred relic in the face of collectors, both benign and evil, in the hundred years or so following their composition.”
“It’s a detective story, a meditation on Romanticism, and an exploration of the changing meaning of music over time,” said Mr Kildea.
Chopin’s piano took on talismanic qualities in the following century, with a cast of characters obsessed with its provenance, heritage and symbolism – from harpsichordist Wanda Landowska to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels – completing this miraculous story.
This dramatic mix of words and music will underline the sheer originality of the Preludes and the enduring power of Chopin.
Director: Richard Pyros | Featuring: Aura Go (Piano), Jennifer Vuletic (Actor) | Original Lighting: Richard Vabre | Sound: Kelly Ryall | Costumes: Christina Smith | Writer: Paul Kildea
Chopin’s Piano plays the Melbourne Recital Centre on 8 & 11 July before performances in Brisbane (13 July), Sydney (15 & 17 July), Canberra (19 July) and Perth (24 July) and Adelaide (26 July). For more information, visit: www.musicaviva.com.au for details.
Image: Jennifer Vultetic and Aura Go in rehearsal for Chopin’s Piano – photo by Arsineh Houspian