For its November concerts, the Amigos de Música group will invite American pianist Stefan Warzycki, an internationally active musician born in Japan now established in London, who will present two recitals with an unusual programme of works for the left hand only…!
On Tuesday, November 12, Stefan Warzycki will play the famous Chaconne by Bach, a Nocturne by Chopin, besides works by Moskowsky, Bortkiewicz, Bridge and Japanese composer Mitsunaga.
On Thursday, November 14, he will play a Prélude and a Nocturne by Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, Etudes pour la main gauche seule by Camille Saint-Saëns, two famous works by Bach and Chopin arranged for the left hand, besides other compositions by Leopold Godowsky, Dinu Lipatti, and Franz Schmidt.
For more programme details, www.amigosdemusica.org.
All concerts will take place in the auditorium of Os Agostos near Santa Bárbara de Nexe.
Doors will open at 6.00pm and the concert will begin at 7.00pm sharp!
Wine, fruit juices and canapés will be available from 6.15 p.m. before the concert and during the interval.
For concert bookings, please send an e-mail to reservasconcertos@gmail.com. Entry donation including refreshments is €30 per person for guests and non-members, payable in advance by bank transfer (see our website www.amigosdemusica.org).
Os Agostos is an impressive 18th century country estate located above Santa Bárbara de Nexe and near Bordeira. For navigation instructions, go to http://www.osagostos.com.
The AMIGOS DE MÚSICA is an international group of around 120 members who stage musical activities by internationally renowned musicians and also sponsor young Portuguese musicians. It is a non-profit organization and celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2021. Members pay a yearly contribution of €250 for up to 18 concerts.
Stefan Warzycki was born in Tokyo but grew up in the United States. After graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he made his concerto debut in Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, he moved to London, where he now teaches piano. He has given recitals and concerto performances in prestigious London venues, including Wigmore Hall the and the South Bank Concert Halls, and toured in most of Europe and the United States, Hong Kong and Japan. Some years ago Stefan’s right hand fell victim to focal dystonia, a neurological condition which severely impairs control of the fingers. Fortunately, his left hand was not affected and – like eminent predecessors such as Paul Wittgenstein and Leon Fleisher – he has been able to re-invent himself as a one-handed pianist, applying his same masterly musicianship to technically challenging left-handed repertoire, which he has helped to extend by commissioning new works and by making his own single-handed arrangements of works originally composed for two hands or for other instruments.
His recital CD ‘Piano Music for the Left Hand’ on the Nimbus label provides a good idea of the diversity of music available for the left hand and amply demonstrates that two hands are not a prerequisite for making impressive and enjoyable music on the piano…
For more information about the Amigos de Música and concert programs, please see the website: www.amigosdemusica.org. For membership enquiries, please contact helga.hampton@gmail.com
