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19/07/10 - Paul Lewis to perform all five Beethoven piano concertos at the Proms
July 16, 2010 by Jessica Duchen
To play one Beethoven piano concerto at the Proms looks like good fortune (as Oscar Wilde could have said, had he known), but to perform all five is – well, another matter altogether, especially with four different orchestras and conductors. Such is the task facing Paul Lewis, 38, who's almost certainly the best-loved British pianist of his vintage.
He has already recorded and performed the complete 32 Beethoven sonatas, his recording of the five concertos is just out, and when he begins his series of Proms he will have been back from a tour of Australia for just a week. The prospect, Lewis says, is every bit as daunting as it sounds. "But I'm also quietly excited," he adds.
For a performer, he adds, the Proms can compare to no other festival in the world. "When you walk out on stage and see a full Albert Hall, it's electrifying," he says. "And if you've done your homework, it's electrifying in a good way. You feel people very much there with you."
If he has a favourite among the five Beethoven concertos, it's the Fourth, which he will play in the first concert back-to-back with the First. "It's a complex animal," he says. "It's by far the biggest challenge in terms of performance – you absolutely need to see eye to eye with the conductor and the orchestra. It makes life difficult, but that's why we do it."
Paul Lewis performs the complete Beethoven concertos at the Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 on 21 & 29 July, 6 August & 6 September.
Premier Events offers the best seats to The Proms. To book tickets for The Proms Festival, call 020 7283 4040.
Source: www.independent.co.uk
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