Ivana Gavrić - world renowned pianist to perform in Haslemere

Photo Credit: Andrej Grilc

Your debut recording started out as a demo and became an award-winning commercial recording, what inspired you to include music by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček?

Janáček has been described as classical music’s ‘anti-prodigy’. He came to fame relatively late in his life, and he struggled to write down what he wanted, so as a performer one has to do quite a lot of interpreting of his gestures, which are highly charged emotionally. I will never forget when I first heard Janáček, in the Royal Opera House’s production of The Cunning Little Vixen. I was really taken aback by the sound world, that was like nothing I had ever heard before. Similarly, I was gripped by In the Mists, his largest piano work, and I just knew I had to play it. I recorded In The Mists, along with works by Schubert, Rachmaninov and Liszt on my debut disc, meant as a demo recording. Champs Hill, where I recorded it, had just started their own label and took it on as one of their first new releases. It coincided with my debut Wigmore Hall recital and attracted attention across the world, so the stars aligned! 

You graduated from the University of Cambridge, then went on to study at the Royal College of Music, is that right?

Given what my family had been through, I was aware that a career in music was a very insecure one, that nonetheless required complete dedication. I wanted to be sure I was committed, and wanted to meet people with different passions first. A pianist’s life is a very solitary one, with hours of practice required and solo travel - and so I jumped at the chance to go to Cambridge first - after all, I had been attending a music school since the age of six. It meant that I had to do a lot of catching up afterwards, but I learnt so much from those intense three years. 

Photo Credit: Andrej Grilc

Why Grieg and the composers you have chosen to perform in Haslemere? 

I have been in love with Grieg’s music since childhood. Apart from his famous piano concerto and some of his Lyric Pieces, his solo piano music is relatively unknown, so I set about recording an album of his piano music which received international acclaim. In my HHH Concert in Haslemere I am showcasing the influence Grieg had on other composers. Grieg drew from Chopin, which earned him the nickname ’The Chopin of the North’, and he influenced Russian composers, including Tchaikovsky. All the composers in my programme shared a love for nature and sought to express their people and language through music, away from the German canon.

For Ivana's programme on 26th March please see https://www.hhhconcerts.org.uk/#/ivanagavric/

You’ll soon perform Grieg’s popular Piano Concerto at the Royal Festival Hall. What's it like to play a piano concerto with an orchestra of the calibre of The Philharmonia? 

There is no greater feeling than playing a concerto with an orchestra, yet alone one of the greatest orchestras in the world! I remember having goosebumps when I first rehearsed Rachmaninov’s famous Second Piano Concerto, in my debut with the Philharmonia, just before the pandemic. I’m excited to be invited back to play Grieg with them. British orchestras are incredibly quick and know the repertoire like the back of their hand, so one has to slot in during very limited rehearsal time while still keeping true to your own interpretation. Ultimately, it’s making chamber music, but on a large scale. It’s absolutely thrilling!

For a taster of Ivana's incredible talent please watch this YouTube clip

TICKETS to see Ivana Gavrić are available:

Online: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ivana-gavric-tickets-167109443845

Tickets can also be purchased from 1st March at: 

Chamberlain Music, 70 Weyhill, Haslemere GU27 1HN

Record Corner, Pound Lane, Godalming GU7 1BX

HHH Concerts offer free tickets to anyone under 25 yrs old.

For more details about HHH Concerts please visit their website.