Music on Thursdays
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Kira Frolu, piano
courtesy of the Royal Academy of Music
Programme
Achille Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Estampes L100 (1903)
I Pagodes Pagodas
II La soirée dans le Grenade Evening in Grenada
III Jardins sous la pluie Gardens in the Rain
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
French Suite no 1 in D minor BWV 812 (c1722)
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Minuet I
Minuet II
Gigue
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Trois mouvements de Petrouchka (1921)
1 Danse russe Russian dance
2 Chez Pétrouchka Petrushka's Room
3 La semaine grasse Shrovetide Fair
Concert duration approx: 45-55 minutes
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Kira Frolu
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Kira Frolu is a Romanian pianist based in London, currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music under the guidance of Professor William Fong. She will continue her postgraduate studies with Professor Ian Fountain at the same institution commencing in September 2022. Kira started piano lessons at the age of six at Music School No 3 in Bucharest, Romania. From the age of eight she already knew she wanted to pursue a pianist career, therefore she started attending the “Dinu Lipatti” Music College with Professor Elena Petrenco. As a junior, Kira was successful in several piano competitions, including Concours Musical de France and Young Pianists of the North. In 2015, Kira was accepted try the Purcell School for Young Musicians in London, where she completed the Sixth Form. |
Kira has given solo recitals at prestigious concert halls around Europe, including Wigmore Hall, Milton Court, St Martin in the Fields and St James Piccadilly in London, RCS, Glasgow, the Fazioli piano factory in Sacile and the Romanian Atheneum and Radio Hall in Bucharest. Since 2019 she has been invited to perform every season at the Chamber Hall of the Romanian Atheneum and has been supported by the EMCY foundation, following her success in the Pianale Competition and Festival in Germany, where she was awarded several special prizes, including the audience prize and the city of Fulda prize.
Since her orchestra debut at age 14, Kira has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the UK, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, performing a wide range of concertos. Her most recent performance showcased Mozart Concerto No 9 with the National Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra in March 2022.
She has been featured on BBC Radio 3 and the Notturno programme of the European Broadcasting Union, as well as several National Radio channels in Romania, after winning the competition Mostenitorii Romaniei Muzicale held by the National Radio in Romania in summer 2020. She has given live broadcasts and extensive interviews, also highlighting lesser-known Romanian repertoire.
Kira has participated in masterclasses around Europe, such as Neuhaus Kawai Masterclass and Pianale in Germany, Suolahti Music Festival in Finland, Arthur Rubinstein masterclass in Spain, Talent Music Summer Course in Italy, Summer Junior Masterclass in Scotland, Paderewski Academy in Poland and others, and had lessons with Stephen Kovacevich, Nikolai Demidenko, Grigory Gruzman, Dmitri Alexeev, Yong Hi Moon, Pascal Devoyon, Noriko Ogawa and Bernd Goetzke among others.
In the summer of 2021 Kira founded a piano festival in Romania, aiming to promote and challenge aspiring young Romanian pianists.
Since her orchestra debut at age 14, Kira has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the UK, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, performing a wide range of concertos. Her most recent performance showcased Mozart Concerto No 9 with the National Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra in March 2022.
She has been featured on BBC Radio 3 and the Notturno programme of the European Broadcasting Union, as well as several National Radio channels in Romania, after winning the competition Mostenitorii Romaniei Muzicale held by the National Radio in Romania in summer 2020. She has given live broadcasts and extensive interviews, also highlighting lesser-known Romanian repertoire.
Kira has participated in masterclasses around Europe, such as Neuhaus Kawai Masterclass and Pianale in Germany, Suolahti Music Festival in Finland, Arthur Rubinstein masterclass in Spain, Talent Music Summer Course in Italy, Summer Junior Masterclass in Scotland, Paderewski Academy in Poland and others, and had lessons with Stephen Kovacevich, Nikolai Demidenko, Grigory Gruzman, Dmitri Alexeev, Yong Hi Moon, Pascal Devoyon, Noriko Ogawa and Bernd Goetzke among others.
In the summer of 2021 Kira founded a piano festival in Romania, aiming to promote and challenge aspiring young Romanian pianists.
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Achille Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Estampes L100 (1903)
I Pagodes Pagodas
II La soirée dans le Grenade Evening in Grenada
III Jardins sous la pluie Gardens in the Rain
this recording was made in the Youngsan Art Hall, Seoul, South Korea in August 2021, by Sunwha Park
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
French Suite no 1 in D minor BWV 812 (c1722)
Allemande Courante Sarabande Minuet I Minuet II Gigue
Andras Schiff is the pianist in this well-articulated live recording from the Bachfest Leipzig in June 2010
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Trois mouvements de Petrouchka (1921)
1 Dance russe Russian dance
2 Chez Pétrouchka Petrushka's Room
3 La semaine grasse Shrovetide Fair
Israeli pianist Ilana Vered play the three Petrushka movements in the Kingsway Hall, Holborn, a recording studio which had been the West London Methodist Mission with Lord (Donald) Soper as its Superintendent Minister. Sadly the hall was demolished in 1998 to make way for a hotel development
Previous concert
Matthew Chin, violin, Eunji Han, piano - click here
Next Thursday's concert
Mark Dangerfield, classical guitar - click here
