PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE Japan Philharmonic Orchestra come to Edinburgh with eminent British pianist Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with John Lill Sunday Classics at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh 3:00pm, Sunday 14 April 2019 Rautavaara - In the Beginning Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 Takemitsu - Requiem for Strings Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 Images available to download here Beethoven’s fiercely dramatic Third Piano Concerto from the standout British pianist With a career spanning more than half a century, eminent British pianist John Lill is a commanding figure throughout the international classical world. He’s revered for his enormous integrity, his profound insights, his captivating charisma – all brilliantly on show at his various appearances at the Usher Hall in the last 3 years. Playing music by Beethoven – long a particular speciality – Lill is like a force of nature. In this his compelling return to the Usher Hall, full of connections and contrasts, Lill is soloist in the Third Piano Concerto, one of Beethoven’s most fiercely dramatic pieces – right from its stirring opening, it grabs you and never lets go. He began writing the concerto in 1800, but it wasn’t premiered until 1803; these were tempestuous years for the composer as his health worsened and he began to realise that his hearing was deteriorating. He tried taking a period of rest to recover, but when that didn’t work, he came close to suicidal. It’s a period of Beethoven’s life that massively contributed to the dark drama of the Third Piano Concerto. Lill joins Tokyo’s fine Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the country’s most respected symphony orchestras, under its vibrant young Finnish Chief Conductor Pietari Inkinen. The ensemble has been performing together from its base in Tokyo since 1956 and performs over 150 concerts a year in Japan, alongside some of the finest concert halls across the world. Celebrated internationally for his enthralling performances full of passion and imagination, Pietari Inkinen is one of today’s most exciting classical figures. Inkinen opens with the evocative soundscapes of fellow Finn Rautavaara, and brings the concert to a joyful conclusion with the stirring optimism of his compatriot Sibelius’s Second Symphony. It’s a rousing piece, the sound of the composer’s native Finland’s nationalist struggle for independence against Tsarist Russia. In between, the fragile, austere beauty of Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu’s brief but potent Requiem for Strings will enrapture the Usher Hall audience. /ENDS Media enquiries: Will Moss / The Corner Shop PR / 0131 202 6220 /07443334085 Listings information: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with John Lill Sunday Classics at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh 3:00pm, Sunday 14 April 2019 Door time: 2:00pm Programme: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Pietari Inkinen - Conductor John Lill - Piano Rautavaara - In the Beginning Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 Takemitsu - Requiem for Strings Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 Tickets available at www.usherhall.co.uk Prices £35 | £29 | £24 | £18 | £13.50 Full time students are entitled to tickets for £10 which can be booked in advance Under 16s are entitled to free tickets when booked with a paying adult Concessions available **Please note a £1.50 transaction fee applies on the overall booking when purchasing online or over the phone (non-refundable)** JOHN LILL Unanimously described as one of the leading pianists of his generation, John Lill's career spans over 55 years, during which time he has given over 4,000 concerts. Lill originally studied at the Royal College of Music and with Wilhelm Kempff. His rare talent emerged at an early age, giving his first piano recital at the age of nine. At eighteen he performed Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto under Sir Adrian Boult, immediately followed by his much-acclaimed London début playing Beethoven's 'Emperor' piano concerto at the Royal Festival Hall. His early career flourished and was enhanced by many prestigious international prizes and awards. In 1970 he won the most coveted of these: the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition, further consolidating his already busy international concert schedule. Since then he has given concerts in over fifty countries, both as a recitalist and as a soloist with the world's greatest orchestras. John Lill's extensive repertoire includes more than eighty concertos, and he is acclaimed in particular as a leading interpreter of Beethoven, whose complete sonata cycle he has performed on several occasions in the UK, USA and Japan. In Britain he has given over 25 London Promenade concerts and regularly appears with all the major symphony orchestras. He has toured overseas with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham, Hallé, Royal Scottish National and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras. He regularly performs in the European capitals, Russia, the Far East, South America, Australasia, (including several ABC tours) and he is a frequent visitor to the United States, where he has worked with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic and the Orchestras of Baltimore, Dallas, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Rochester, San Diego, Seattle and Washington. More recently John Lill has performed with the St Petersburg, Rotterdam, Royal Stockholm, Czech, Oslo, London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Hallé Orchestra, National Philharmonic of Russia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Tonkünstler Orchestra and RTVE Orchestra Madrid, together with the Vancouver, Seattle, Indianapolis, Bournemouth, Royal Scottish National and Sapporo Symphony Orchestras. He also regularly gives recitals throughout the UK and Europe, USA, China, Russia, Japan and Australia. In celebration of his 70th Birthday, the 2013-14 season saw John embark on much acclaimed Beethoven complete sonata cycles in London and Manchester, as well as recitals at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Dublin’s National Concert Hall, Warsaw’s Philharmonic Hall and the Grand Hall of St Petersburg Philharmonia. He also returned to Moscow to perform all the Beethoven concertos with the National Philharmonic of Russia and Vladimir Spivakov. Askonas Holt Limited Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn, London WC1V 7JH, United Kingdom T +44 (0)20 7400 1700 askonasholt.co.uk [email protected] The 2017/18 season saw John give concerts with the Tchaikovsky Symphony, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the St Petersburg Philharmonic in Edinburgh, as well as a UK tour with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and extensive solo tours. Other recent highlights include performances with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for their 125th Anniversary concert, as well as a debut performance with the Würth Philharmonic. Future highlights of the 2018-19 season include John’s return to the Liverpool Philharmonic, as well as performances with the Japan Philharmonic at Suntory Hall. John will also give a number of recitals across the UK, including at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool, and the Sage Gateshead. John Lill has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon (Brahms solo works and second piano concerto), EMI (Complete Beethoven piano concertos with RSNO and Gibson), ASV (both Brahms piano concertos with the Hallé and Loughran plus the complete Beethoven sonatas) and Pickwick Records (Tchaikovsky first concerto with the LSO and Judd). More recently he has recorded the complete Prokofiev sonatas with ASV and his recording of the complete Beethoven Bagatelles and piano concertos with the CBSO and Weller is available on Chandos. He recorded Malcolm Arnold's Fantasy on a Theme of John Field (dedicated to John Lill) with the RPO and Handley for Conifer and the complete Rachmaninov concertos and solo piano works for Nimbus Records. His recent recording projects have been with EMI (piano works by Schumann) and Signum Records (works by Brahms and Schumann plus Haydn piano sonatas). John Lill has been awarded many Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships from British Universities, Colleges and Academies. He lives in London and was awarded the OBE in 1977 and the CBE for his services to music in the 2005 New Year’s Honours’ List. JAPAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Japan Philharmonic Orchestra's history began in Tokyo in June 1956. Akeo WATANABE played an important role in founding the orchestra and became its first Principal Conductor. With a wide repertoire and its unique performing style, JPO has soon become one of the leading orchestras in Japan. Igor MARKEVITCH, Charles MUNCH, Jean FOURNET and many other world-class conductors have conducted the Orchestra. JPO had a very successful USA-Canada tour in 1964, making a dramatic breakthrough in just ten years from its founding. JPO also made an appearance to the renowned Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2011 with Alexander LAZAREV, one of Russia’s great maestros who led JPO as Chief Conductor for 8 years from 2008 through 2016, making a significant first step to develop good relationships with Asian countries. In recent years, JPO has received a number of great reviews for its high quality performances. From its founding, JPO started a commission series “Japan Phil Series” with wide variety of Japanese composers. Forty works have been premiered as of 2016, some of them now being regarded as regularly-performed repertoire, and the series has been highly rated as a commission system that is unprecedented in Japan’s music history. JPO is now aiming for further development while preserving its 60 years of history and tradition. Orchestra Concerts JPO performs 150 concerts a year, including subscription concerts in Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama, and Sagamiono. With Chief Conductor Pietrai INKINEN, Conductor Laureate Alexander LAZAREV, Honorary Conductor Laureate Ken-ichiro KOBAYASHI, Permanent Conductor Kazuki YAMADA, and Music Partner Tomomi NISHIMOTO among other great conductors, JPO offers unique and attractive performances and aims for even higher performing skills. Educational Programs JPO has held a family concert series every summer since 1975, attracting over 20,000 children and their family members each year.