Olga Stezhko, a young and critically acclaimed Belarusian pianist presents an intriguing programme in her Wigmore Hall debut.The narrative reflects the development of our perception of reality during different stages of life. It moves from the magical realism of a child’s worldview (Toys and dances) to the broader metaphysical questions we all face at some point in life (Images and visions).
Since making her debut as a concert pianist on the stage of the Minsk National Opera House at the age of eight, Olga Stezhko has been performing internationally to great acclaim at venues such as Wigmore Hall, The Barbican and The Southbank Centre in London; Minsk Philharmonic Hall; Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Santander; Salle Cortot and Opera Theatre Saint-Etienne in France and Carnegie Hall, New York, both as a soloist and in recital. Her interpretations have been lauded as “luminous” by The Independent and The Times hailed Olga’s “great skill and sensitivity”.
This year, Olga Stezhko’s highlights include performances at Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, The Barbican and Manchester‘s Bridgewater Hall, as well as many other appearances at concert halls in the UK, Sweden, Belarus and Italy.
Olga has won many international piano competitions, prizes and awards including the Grand Prix at the First ‘Halina Czerny-Stefanska In Memoriam’ International Piano Competition in Poland, First Prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition in France and Third Prize at the Prix Amade`o de Piano International Piano Competition in Germany.
Her musical interests range from core classical repertoire to contemporary composers, whilst her main passion is for the works of the early 20th-century composers, such as Scriabin, Prokofiev and Debussy. In her spare time, Olga keeps up-to-date with advances in the fields of physics and cosmology.
Olga Stezhko’s recital album featuring music by Scriabin and Busoni was released worldwide in May 2014 and described by Bryce Morrison of Gramophone as “an outstanding debut”.
"In many ways, this programme is my attempt to rediscover the sources that were crucial to the development of my musical identity. It is a deeply personal journey; its narrative moves from the magical realism of a child’s worldview (Toys and dances) to the broader metaphysical questions we all face at some point in life (Images and visions).
Prokofiev’s Music for Children and Gubaidulina’s piece Thambelina were perhaps my earliest and most vivid musical memories. By contrast, I discovered their Tales of an Old Grandmother and Musical Toys relatively recently. In many sources those cycles are described as children’s music but I have trouble with this term. What is the definition of children’s music anyway? I believe when such music emerges as an innermost urge from a mature master, it epitomizes their most sincere and unpretentious artistic output. We all were children once, authentic and genuine in our relationship with the world; this work speaks to something truly universal, to which both performers and listeners can readily relate.
I cannot recall my early adulthood without thinking of Scriabin and Debussy. My current passion for astrophysics was partially sparked by Scriabin’s later piano and symphonic works. His stirring words ‘I would like to have been born as an idea, as a dream of young life, a motion of sacred inspiration...’ fill my heart with an almost unbearable yearning. The sensuousness of Debussy’s music is of a different kind. The poetically descriptive titles of his pieces are deceptive: we quickly realise these are in fact subtle depictions of complicated emotions and psychological states. Debussy’s music connects me with memories of people and places, while illuminating my relationships with them."