Talented pianist Martin James Bartlett returns to Tunbridge Wells on Sunday afternoon to perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major. Written in the 1920s, and described as a ‘thrilling and lively jazz-inspired work set against a beautiful and tranquil Mozart-like slow movement’, the concerto will be played by Bartlett alongside the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra [RTWSO] at the Assembly Hall Theatre.
The concert will also feature Copland’s ballet Appalachian Spring, which is about early 19th-century American pioneers, and quotes the famous Shaker tune ‘Tis the Gift to be Simple’. The concert will end with Brahms’ memorable Fourth Symphony – the composer’s last symphonic creation, and often cited as his most ambitious one.
“Martin James Bartlett is a former BBC Young Musician of the Year and possesses a fearless technique,” says an RTWSO spokesperson. “He plays with a wisdom and elegance far beyond his years.”
Bartlett is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics, and since winning the prestigious BBC competition in 2014 he has performed such orchestras as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.
Roderick Dunk, Music Director of RTWSO, who is conducting the concert, adds: “We are thrilled to be working with Martin once again. He is a very talented musician who has delighted our audiences with previous performances.
“Our March concert will be another fantastic afternoon of orchestral music.”
The concert is at 3pm on Sunday March 1. Tickets cost £27 from assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
