A CELEBRATION of Argentinian Tango was held in Wokingham on Sunday afternoon, thanks to some talented young musicians.
Guitarist Andrey Lebedev and accordionist Bartosz Glowacki entertained an audience at Easthampstead Park, performing 12 different pieces from across the ages, including Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata K.208 in A Major, which dates back to the 18th century, and Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango from 1986.
The duo’s show, Syncopations, was organised by the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, which was set up to enable young musicians to take part in residential masterclasses led by the concert pianist. The aim is to help the musicians who just starting out professionally.
Imogen Cooper CBE told Wokingham.Today: “I founded the trust in 2015, because I felt it was important to give one-to-one support to young musicians coming out of academies or the college, who are on the cusp of their careers.
“It’s a big, rather harsh, world out there – it’s very exciting, but they need to be grounded and yet inspired at the same time.”
Her pupils are taken to the French countryside where, over six days, Imogen gives them intensive tuition and guidance.
“They’re not distracted in any way,” Imogen explains, adding that the focus of the week is the music rather than the commercial side of the business.
“It’s the music and nothing but the music,” she adds. “It’s been wonderful to note how they’ve left with a spring in their step and feeling recharged, realising it’s important to keep in touch with what it’s all about – their work with music.”
This has been the second concert that the Trust has hosted at Easthampstead Park, a venue that Imogen describes as “wonderful”. She’s looking forward to holding more concerts with them in future.
“We’ve got this fantastic room and we’ve very grateful to them.”
Live performances are important to Imogen, who says that it beats watching YouTube because “it’s the best possible experience. There’s a certain energy in the room – there’s always the possibility of a banana skin and there are risks to it.
“The young musicians out there performing, they just want to share the music, and share it with people their own age.”
For this show, Andrey and Bartosz were able to choose their own programme.
“I said, ‘Be as whacky as you like’ and they’ve got for South American Tango and all sorts of wonderful things like that, so it’s not your conventional classic concert. It’s absolutely stunning.”
Imogen herself is a busy international pianist: Dates this month include venues in Istanbul, Madrid and Venice, with performances in Oregon, London and Poland all coming up later in the year.
But the trust is important to her.
“We’re really proud of what the Trust is,” she says. “I never thought it would go so fast five years ago. Everyone’s support is absolutely wonderful.
“We’re a small trust, and we need people to get involved and to feel that they’re part of the family and these wonderful young ones (the performers) are part of their lives too.”
For more on the trust and its work with young musicians, log on to http://www.imogen-cooper.com/music-trust/
