TIL Summer 2018

12
WORBEY AND FARRELL PERFORM
AT CADOGAN HALL
On Thursday 6 September at 19.30,
Worbey and Farrell will grace the stage
of one of London’s leading concert
venues, Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. The
internationally acclaimed concert
pianists, famous for their wicked sense
of humour, will bring a one-off
performance of their critically acclaimed
show ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.
The Steinway ensemble have
achieved millions of hits on YouTube
and entertained in over 150 countries
around the globe with their barnstorming
blend of sparky comedy and utterly
sensational piano playing. They’ll
astound audiences by pushing the
boundaries of their instrument, using it
in unconventional ways to mimic the
sound of a full symphony orchestra.
Expect exhilarating rhapsodies,
beguiling boogie-woogies and
sensational piano-playing. From Liszt to
Jools Holland, from Queen to Gershwin,
the ingenuity of these amazing
musicians makes you laugh one moment
and takes your breath away the next.
Prepare to be moved, delighted and
utterly surprised.
The duo met at the Royal College of
Music where Kevin Farrell was studying
composition and Steven Worbey
studying piano performance. Although
pursuing separate careers they met
regularly and the act came together,
fusing their personalities and skills. As
Steven reflects, ‘It just clicked – the
humour, the synchronisation, the
improvised sense of fun. We discovered
that we played the piano together in a
way that had never been played before.
We spend months on each arrangement,
sometimes contorting ourselves into
odd positions to push the boundaries
and create orchestral sounds from the
piano’.
Their first gig was at The Royal Opera
House in Covent Garden, which lead to a
flood of offers across the world
including a performance on the maiden
Voyage of Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. Their
work is diverse, from a two month sellout
run of the Canadian smash-hit play
Two Pianos Four Hands in Vienna,
Austria to performing with the late
Mickey Rooney in Chicago. Worbey and
Farrell are regulars on BBC Radio 3 and
their concerts regularly take them to
Australia, Far East and South Korea.
This is a rare chance to see them in
London so be sure to book in good time.
You’ve never seen a piano played like
this before!
Cadogan Hall is a short walk from
Sloane Square station, which is on the
Circle Line. For tickets, telephone the
box office on 020 7730 4500.
SWAN LAKE RETURNS TO THE
LONDON COLISEUM
St Petersburg Ballet Theatre will give
eight extra performances of their fulllength
classic production of Swan Lake
at London Coliseum this summer from
22 August to 2 September.
Founded in 1994, St Petersburg
Ballet Theatre is renowned globally not
just for its beautiful Vaganova trained
dancers, but also for its stunning fulllength
productions. Led by prima
ballerina Irina Kolesnikova, the company
travels internationally performing
classical masterpieces from its repertoire
including Giselle, Don Quixote, The
Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
Irina Kolesnikova has a wealth of
leading credits under her belt, having
been prima ballerina at St Petersburg
Ballet Theatre since the age of 21. Her
last Odette/Odile in London was
described as ‘Truly a thing of remarkable
beauty and technically flawless.’
Irina Kolesnikova.
Photo: Alexander Gronsky.
Arguably the world’s most loved
ballet, Swan Lake tells the immortal
classic love story of Prince Siegfried and
Odette, a princess turned into a swan by
an evil sorcerer’s curse. St Petersburg
Ballet Theatre will perform this balletic
masterpiece as it was meant to be seen,
boasting gorgeous traditionally painted
backdrops, Tchaikovsky’s moving score,
a full-sized orchestra and critically
acclaimed dancers performing the fulllength
production for London audiences.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e