What a triumph! Cheers for orchestra and soloists at Gala Concert.
“When everything in the world seems so dreadful, this concert reminds us that people are talented and creative and can bring joy to each other - and that human beings are actually rather wonderful!” Nick, St Leonards
Our Gala Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra took place at the end of September at the White Rock Theatre - and what a fabulous occasion it was! The sense of anticipation and excitement was palpable as soon as the doors opened - after all, it’s not often that one of the world’s truly great orchestras plays in Hastings. The 55-piece orchestra was on top form and played beautifully for conductor Scott Dunn, who has agreed to be one of the judges for next year’s competition. We were lucky enough to hear performances of concertos by not one, but TWO prizewinners from the 2024 competition, Curtis Phill Hsu and Harmony Zhu, who treated us to concertos by Chopin (No. 1) and Rachmaninov (No. 2) and then, as an extra treat, to Brahms’ scintillating Hungarian Dance No. 5 for piano duet as an encore (see below).
Before the concert, St Leonards comic and conductor Rainer Hersch led an entertaining (and interesting) In Conversation event with the RPO’s Managing Director Sarah Bardwell and bass trombonist Josh Cirtina which gave the audience a glimpse behind the scenes in the concert hall, revealing lots of fascinating detail about the challenges and highlights of orchestral life. We hope to stage other similar events in future.
“A sublime evening with the Royal Philharmonic…thank you for the most incredible music…” Emily Maitlis
“Returning to Hastings International Piano is a highlight of our diary. It’s really inspiring working with pianists breaking onto the world stage - some of the musicianship on display is breathtaking. Looking forward to next year’s competition.” Josh Cirtina, bass trombone, RPO
Photos by Matthew Andrews for Hastings International Piano
