The sound of love
I can never really understand it when people say they don’t like music,’ says Lucy Parham. ‘It just evokes so many emotions and memories.’
As a world-renowned concert pianist, music has defined Lucy’s life. She made her Royal Festival Hall debut at 16, and at the age of 18, was the Piano Winner of the prestigious BBC Young Musician Of The Year Award in 1984. She is now one of Britain’s finest concert pianists, performing solo and with top orchestras all over the world. She adores her profession, but it is hard work.
‘It’s not as glamorous as people imagine. When you walk off a plane, jet-lagged, and you have to do a concert that night, it’s difficult. But the important thing for me is to do quality concerts in pretty venues. Every one is a really happy occasion.’
Lucy certainly does not cut corners. She puts in six hours of concentrated practise virtually every day. ‘If I can’t play my piece, everybody is going to know,’ she says. ‘And I still get nervous. In a way, the older you get, the more nervous you get, because you know more about the process and what people expect of you. I know many top pianists who get terrified.
She started young. ‘I first sat down at the piano at six years old. My mum played as a keen amateur and, instead of reading a bedtime story, she would go downstairs and play the piano. I would listen as I fell asleep, so it became a very soothing thing for me.’
Lucy has also carved out a new genre of performance. It is a style borne from her passion for Robert Schumann. ‘I have always played a lot of his music,’ she explains, ‘and when I was doing a concert I would stand in front of the audience to share the amazing story behind the pieces.’
The romance of Schumann’s life is reflected in his compositions. Born in the early 19th century, the German composer fell in love with Clara, the daughter of his teacher, Friedrich Wieck. Schumann asked Wieck’s permission to marry Clara, but a combination of their age gap (Schumann was 23, while Clara was 14) and the fact that Wieck was not willing to waste his daughter – a musical prodigy herself – on a penniless composer, led to a refusal of the union. But Schumann and Clara would not be swayed. They continued to write to each other for seven years, and finally married when Clara was 21. ‘The most romantic thing was that they had this little musical theme,’ Lucy enthuses. ‘Schumann wrote it into every piece, sort of like a stamp, as a way to communicate to Clara that he still loved her.’
During her popular concerts, Lucy brings Schumann’s compositions to life, while two actors read the lovers’ letters: she has worked with Juliet Stevenson, Dominic West and Charles Dance. Lucy has expanded her wordsand- music repertoire with her latest series of concerts, the Sheaffer Sunday Matinees, to include the notes and narratives of Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy and Frédéric Chopin.
Funnily enough, there is also a story behind how the performances came about. Lucy got talking to Tim Williams, the charismatic CE O of the 100-year-old Sheaffer pen company, at a charity event. They exchanged details, at which point Williams exclaimed, ‘What kind of pen is that?’
‘I used an old biro to write down his number,’ Lucy says. ‘He said, “You need a proper pen,” and pulled a particularly beautiful Sheaffer pen out of his pocket, almost like a magician, handing it to me on the spot.’
The subsequent collaboration between Lucy and Sheaffer was a nobrainer: ‘All of my shows are a combination of letters and diaries, all handwritten, so I thought it would be a good fit.’ The series of Sheaffersponsored performances are taking place throughout this year at the beautiful St John’s, Smith Square – a deconsecrated church in the heart of Westminster. ‘The older I get, I just think I’m so fortunate to be doing what I’m doing,’ Lucy says. ‘And if anyone wants to listen to me, well, then I’m thrilled.’ And with that, she heads home to practise.
Lucy’s next concert is on 16 March at 3pm, at St John’s, Smith Square, London SW1: 020-7222 1061, www.sjss.org.uk/events
www.lucyparham.com
Sheaffer: www.sheaffer.com
As a world-renowned concert pianist, music has defined Lucy’s life. She made her Royal Festival Hall debut at 16, and at the age of 18, was the Piano Winner of the prestigious BBC Young Musician Of The Year Award in 1984. She is now one of Britain’s finest concert pianists, performing solo and with top orchestras all over the world. She adores her profession, but it is hard work.
‘It’s not as glamorous as people imagine. When you walk off a plane, jet-lagged, and you have to do a concert that night, it’s difficult. But the important thing for me is to do quality concerts in pretty venues. Every one is a really happy occasion.’
Lucy certainly does not cut corners. She puts in six hours of concentrated practise virtually every day. ‘If I can’t play my piece, everybody is going to know,’ she says. ‘And I still get nervous. In a way, the older you get, the more nervous you get, because you know more about the process and what people expect of you. I know many top pianists who get terrified.
She started young. ‘I first sat down at the piano at six years old. My mum played as a keen amateur and, instead of reading a bedtime story, she would go downstairs and play the piano. I would listen as I fell asleep, so it became a very soothing thing for me.’
Lucy has also carved out a new genre of performance. It is a style borne from her passion for Robert Schumann. ‘I have always played a lot of his music,’ she explains, ‘and when I was doing a concert I would stand in front of the audience to share the amazing story behind the pieces.’
The romance of Schumann’s life is reflected in his compositions. Born in the early 19th century, the German composer fell in love with Clara, the daughter of his teacher, Friedrich Wieck. Schumann asked Wieck’s permission to marry Clara, but a combination of their age gap (Schumann was 23, while Clara was 14) and the fact that Wieck was not willing to waste his daughter – a musical prodigy herself – on a penniless composer, led to a refusal of the union. But Schumann and Clara would not be swayed. They continued to write to each other for seven years, and finally married when Clara was 21. ‘The most romantic thing was that they had this little musical theme,’ Lucy enthuses. ‘Schumann wrote it into every piece, sort of like a stamp, as a way to communicate to Clara that he still loved her.’
During her popular concerts, Lucy brings Schumann’s compositions to life, while two actors read the lovers’ letters: she has worked with Juliet Stevenson, Dominic West and Charles Dance. Lucy has expanded her wordsand- music repertoire with her latest series of concerts, the Sheaffer Sunday Matinees, to include the notes and narratives of Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy and Frédéric Chopin.
Funnily enough, there is also a story behind how the performances came about. Lucy got talking to Tim Williams, the charismatic CE O of the 100-year-old Sheaffer pen company, at a charity event. They exchanged details, at which point Williams exclaimed, ‘What kind of pen is that?’
‘I used an old biro to write down his number,’ Lucy says. ‘He said, “You need a proper pen,” and pulled a particularly beautiful Sheaffer pen out of his pocket, almost like a magician, handing it to me on the spot.’
The subsequent collaboration between Lucy and Sheaffer was a nobrainer: ‘All of my shows are a combination of letters and diaries, all handwritten, so I thought it would be a good fit.’ The series of Sheaffersponsored performances are taking place throughout this year at the beautiful St John’s, Smith Square – a deconsecrated church in the heart of Westminster. ‘The older I get, I just think I’m so fortunate to be doing what I’m doing,’ Lucy says. ‘And if anyone wants to listen to me, well, then I’m thrilled.’ And with that, she heads home to practise.
Lucy’s next concert is on 16 March at 3pm, at St John’s, Smith Square, London SW1: 020-7222 1061, www.sjss.org.uk/events
www.lucyparham.com
Sheaffer: www.sheaffer.com