Divisions & Visions

Kings Place, Hall One, London, Great Britain

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Select date and time

7:30 PM

Important Info

Type: Classical Concert

City: London, Great Britain

Starts at: 19:30

Duration:

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Programme

Overview

Sir George Benjamin and BBC Radio 3’s Donald Macleod launch the London Piano Festival 2026 with an illuminating conversation on Messiaen’s influence, followed by Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva performing Benjamin’s spirited piano duets and Messiaen’s epic Visions de l’Amen. Dive into a night where musical lineage and visionary intensity come alive.Step into the opening evening of the London Piano Festival 2026, where conversation and performance intertwine in an exploration of lineage and inspiration. BBC Radio 3’s Donald Macleod sits down with Sir George Benjamin to trace the composer’s formative years under the tutelage of Olivier Messiaen. Their dialogue illuminates the profound musical and spiritual currents that flow from Messiaen’s teaching into Benjamin’s own creative voice, revealing how ideas of colour, bird-song, and mystical contemplation have shaped his distinctive compositional language. Following this intimate discussion, Artistic Directors Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva take to the stage at two grand pianos to bring Benjamin’s exquisite piano duets Two or Four and Divisions to life. Their seamless interplay captures the works’ delicate textures, crisp syncopations, and dynamic contrasts, setting the scene for the evening’s climax. In the second half, the pianists embark on Messiaen’s monumental Visions de l’Amen, a seven-movement tour de force for two pianos. Radiant harmonies bloom against intricate rhythmic patterns, building to moments of visionary intensity and profound stillness. Over approximately two hours—with a brief interval—this evening promises an immersive journey through the creative legacy linking two of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries’ most original musical minds.

Venue Info