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Details
St John the Baptist Church
Fleet Street
Coventry
West Midlands
CV1 3AY
England
Programme
Franz Liszt – Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178
Sergey Prokofiev – 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op.75
Joseph Haydn – Piano Sonata in E major, Hob.XVI:31
Pyotr Tchaikovsky – 16 Songs for Children, Op.54
Performers
Varvara Maggs – piano
Programme Note
Varvara Maggs
Varvara Maggs was a legendary child pianist in St. Petersburg, Russia. At eight she performed Kabalevsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 in the St. Petersburg Concerto Competition for Young Pianists, taking first prize and proceeding to play the winning concerto with the St. Petersburg State Conservatoire Orchestra in the Alexander Glazunov Concert Hall conducted by Mariss Jansons. Another concerto appearance was at the age of ten. She performed Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto with the Rimsky-Korsakov Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paulavichus. Subsequently they toured Finland, receiving excellent press reviews. She took part in competitions at least twice a year, receiving numerous diplomas and first prizes between the ages of eight and fourteen. At twelve she won a piano duet competition arranged and judged by the famous piano duo Bruk and Taimanov. Later she became Bruk's student. During this period her performances were transmitted on Russian television and broadcast on radio. She became widely acknowledged as St. Petersburg's leading young pianist and was sent to Moscow to represent St. Petersburg at the All Soviet Contest "Young Assemblies of Art". At fourteen Varvara entered the Mussorgsky Music College, having obtained the highest entrance marks in the history of the college. She began her studies there under Ekaterina Sharkova, a Professor of Merit of Russia. In her last year she came out as a Winner of the First International Pianoforte Competition named after M. Udina, St. Petersburg.
In 1998 Varvara was admitted to St. Petersburg State Conservatoire after obtaining the highest entry mark possible in the piano examination which exempted her from the rest of the exams. Whilst studying full-time at the Conservatoire under professors Valery Vishnevsky and Eduard Bazanov she taught children at the school attached to the Conservatory. She also accompanied singers from the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers and performed as a soloist.
Shortly afterwards she moved to the UK. Since then most of her time has been spent as a piano recitalist in Great Britain and St. Petersburg, Russia. Varvara has given recitals at The Glinka Philharmonic Hall, The Hermitage Theatre, The Sheremetev Palace, The St. Petersburg State University, The Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra, The Anna Akhmatova Museum at the Fountain House, The Rimsky-Korsakov Memorial Apartment Museum, The Hall on the Island in Pushkin, The Priory Palace in Gatchina and The Benua Family Museum in Peterhof. In Britain she has played numerous recitals in Birmingham, including Bournville Music Society, St. Martin's-in-the Bullring and St. Paul's Church; for Redditch and Knighton Music Societies, in Newport Isle of Wight, and Minehead, at The Shakespeare Institute , Stratford-upon-Avon, Snitterfield Village and Wootton Wawen Churches, in Kenilworth, Earlsdon Methodist Church and Warwick Road United Reformed Church Coventry, and many times at St Andrew's Rugby. Recently she gave her first recitals in London at St James's Church, Paddington and St Brides Church, Fleet street.
