ALEXANDER KARPEYEV  

French virtuoso music for piano.

Saturday 5th October 2024, 7.30pm, St. Botolph’s Church, Trunch.

The London-based, Russian pianist Alexander Karpeyevpresents a selection of Chopin’s nocturnes, waltzes and impromptus juxtaposed with works in the same genres by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924). He also will be playing Concerto for Solo Piano written by Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888). Alkan’s concerto is considered the most difficult to perform piano piece ever composed in the 19th century, until the time of Ferruccio Busoni.  “The style and form of the music take on a monumental quality—rich, thickly set textures and harmonies … conjure up the sound world of a whole orchestra and tax the performer, both physically and mentally, to the limit.” (The pianist Jack Gibbons)

Alexander Karpeyev is ‘one to watch’ according to the International Piano magazine. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under Joan Havill.

Recent seasons have seen recitals across Europe at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, he has also performed in the USA, Mexico, and China. In the UK Corbett frequents major festivals including Bath, Beaminster, Beaumaris, Budleigh, Buxton, Cambridge Summer Music, Chipping Campden, Cumnock Tryst, Deal, Edinburgh, Lake District, Lammermuir, Lichfield, St Magnus, Norfolk & Norwich, Oxford Song, Paxton, Perth, Ryedale, Southrepps, and the Keyboard Festival at St George’s Bristol. He makes his debut at London’s Wigmore Hall this year.

Alexander is the winner of the Dudley International Piano Competition as well as the Norah Sande Award and the holder of a Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians. 

As well as performing and speaking about music, Karpeyev is actively engaged in recording projects. The first, entitled ‘Russian Émigré Composers’ (Claudio Records, 2018), commemorates the centenary of the Russian Revolution and, in particular, highlights some of the achievements of the pianists-composers who emigrated to Europe and the USA at that time. The second, ‘Composers at the Savile Club‘(SOMM Recordings, 2019) celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the London club. Elgar, Parry, Stanford, Howells and Walton number among the members featured. This critically-acclaimed recording was at the top of Spotify, Apple Music and Primephonic releases, as well as the Album of the Week at KUSC and KDFC radio stations in the USA.  Karpeyev’s latest project is a CD of Medtner’s music with award-winning violinist Natalia Lomeiko and baritone Theodore Platt (SOMM Recordings, 2023).

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