Hastings summer performance

The Summer Prizewinner’s Picnic Recital

The last time the brilliant young Russian pianist Roman Kosyakov played in Hastings in early March the town was covered in snow and ice and being lashed by a bitingly cold wind generated by the Beast from the East. Dominika Hicks writes.

These freezing conditions, redolent of his native Siberia, seemed to inspire the young virtuoso. He won the £15,000 first prize in the 2018 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition with a thrilling performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1.

Hopefully Roman will be greeted by rather better weather when he returns to the town on July 1st to give the Summer Prizewinner’s Picnic Recital at Fairlight Hall.

He has chosen a tantalizing programme for the event. He will begin with Schubert’s 4 Impromptus D899 op.90 and then perform Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody. This will be followed by the interval.

Heady Hastings summer days

In the second half Roman will perform all four movements of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Sonata in G major. The idea of a Russian performing Tchaikovsky is always appealing.

Roman Kosyakov is a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory, which is named after Tchaikovsky, and now studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. As well as being this year’s HIPCC winner, he is a laureate from many other competitions, including second prize in both the Minsk 2014 International Piano Competition and the VI International Piano Competition.

The Summer Recital will begin at 2pm in the Recital Room Courtyard. But the gates will open at 12 noon to enable ticket holders to picnic in the beautiful grounds of Fairlight Hall, where drinks and refreshments will be available.

The Summer Prizewinner’s Picnic Recital: Tickets are £20 and are available online from www.hipcc.co.uk or from the Hastings Tourist Information Centre at Muriel Matters House (2 Breeds Place) on 01424 451111.   

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