Receiving First Prize at the Xavier Montsalvatge International Piano Competition in Spain, as well as prizes in competitions in Paris and New Zealand, she has earned her reputation as “a powerhouse of contemporary keyboard repertoire” (Tempo). Pestova Bennett pushes the boundaries of performance, having played in tropical rainforests, caves, ponds and countless weird and wonderful spaces, and of classical music with electronics, toy pianos, synthesizers and the Magnetic Resonator Piano.
Composer and sound artist Annea Lockwood brings vibrant energy, ceaseless curiosity, and a profound sense of openness to her music. She has worked across a multitude of mediums, including graphic scores, field recordings, and vocal texts, and has used instruments from voice to helium balloons and of course prepared piano. Her most iconic work ‘Piano Transplants’ was a series spanning over a decade (1969-82) in which Lockwood drowned, beached, planted and - most famously - burnt defunct pianos. In a bold, exciting event, Xenia Pestova Bennett will perform ‘Piano Garden’ (1969-70) from Lockwood’s ‘Piano Transplants’. This work opens the piano up to the unpredictable, ongoing ‘preparations’ created by nature around where the piano is half-interred and left in the earth forever. The ever changing weather, growth of plants and curious nature of animals will create fascinating changes to the piano and its sound. This event is separate from the Firth Hall concert and is free to attend.
Programme:
Annea Lockwood - Ear-Walking Woman (14’)
Xenia Pestova Bennett - Iridescence (7’)
Xenia Pestova Bennett - Tapetum lucidum (8’)
Annea Lockwood - Red Mesa (15’); Ceci n’est pas un piano (12’); electroacoustic interlude - Buoyant (6’); RCSC (4’); Gone (variable)
This concert is part of our ongoing partnership with Music in the Round, working to bring exciting new contemporary music to Sheffield.
