Croydon-born Freddy Kempf, one of the world’s leading concert pianists, is to make a return to his home town next year in a special gala concert with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra at the Fairfield Halls, where tickets for under-18s are free.
Tuning up: Freddy Kempf is one of the world’s leading concert pianists
Kempf, now 45, was a child prodigy, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No12 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall when he was just eight years old.
In 1987, Kempf won the first National Mozart Competition and in 1992, aged 15, he was named BBC Young Musician of the Year for his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Now based in Berlin, his piano playing has been described as “often like a tsunami, swelling with both passion and poetry”.
His performances of Rachmaninov are particularly spectacular, and Rach features on the programme he is due to play at the Fairfield Halls on May 25 next year.
Classic offering: the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra will be performing as part of the Fairfield Halls’ international series in 2023
The concert is part of the venue’s 2023-2024 programme of international orchestra visits.
The Fairfield Halls is making tickets for the concert for under-18s free, when accompanied by an adult, “with a view to inspiring the next generation of classical music lovers”, they say.
There is also a subscription offer where those who book tickets for two or more of the concerts in the international season – which also includes the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Philharmonia – will get a multi-buy discount of up to 15per cent off.
The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra concert will be conducted by Olari Eltys and feature works by Britten, Rachmaninov, Musgrave and Sibelius.
Tickets are now on sale, click here to book.
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