Ariel is playing in the Petersfield Orchestra concert on Thursday 20 March in Petersfield Festival Hall as part of the festival. This concert features Beethoven – ‘Emperor’ Piano Concerto No. 5, Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10 and Liadov – Baba Yaga.
What are you looking most forward to when performing at the Petersfield Musical Festival this year?
I’m enormously looking forward to performing Beethoven’s Emperor concerto. It has always been a favourite of mine, and in fact, was the first concerto I performed with an orchestra. It poses many challenges to the performer – scales and arpeggios abound in all three movements, but they must never sound merely like scales and arpeggios, as every single one of them is pregnant with lyrical and rhetorical meaning. Hence, we must use our imagination to the utmost when tackling this work.
Who and/or what have been the most important influences on your musical career or interest in music?
I have had many influences over the years, but currently, I am in constant awe of Willem Mengelberg. The sheer intensity he managed to get out of every single gesture and every single note is nothing short of miraculous, and we hear it regardless of which composer he happened to be conducting – whether it was Bach (his Matthew Passion is for me one of the absolute pinnacles of recorded musicianship), Beethoven, Brahms, Franck, Tchaikovsky, or Debussy…
What have been the greatest challenges of your musical career so far?
The challenges are ever-evolving, but mostly they have to do with juggling a large amount of repertoire. Needless to say, the challenge is entirely worth it.
What for you are the particular pleasures and challenges of collaborating with other musicians?
The pleasures are manifold, but mainly I am fascinated with the element of unpredictability and surprise that comes with collaborative work. No matter how well-prepared one might be, there will always be an instant reaction to someone else’s ideas in the moment.
Are there any composers for whom you feel a particular affinity?
My “bread and butter” would probably be Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Wagner, and Bruckner, but luckily, there are so many great composers that the musical canon is inexhaustible, and there is always more to discover and delve into.
Which works do you think you perform best?
That’s not up to me to judge… but I would say that there are a number of works I have played over the years for which I think I have cemented some well-defined ideas, so when I return to them, I feel that I am on solid ground.
What are your most memorable concert experiences, either as a performer, composer or listener?
Fortunately, there have been rather too many to list… Hopefully the best is yet to come!
What advice would you give to those who are considering a career in music?
Always remember to be a musician first, and an instrumentalist second.
How would you define success as a musician?
Having a well-defined sense of artistic and musical aesthetics, and staying as true to them as possible.
What would you like to be doing in 5 years’ time?
Hopefully making music as well as I can.
About Ariel
Multi award winning pianist Ariel Lanyi is both a soloist and chamber musician of great acclaim, and in 2023, was recognised as one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars.
A member of the Young Classical Artists Trust, UK, and the Concert Artists Guild, US, Ariel performs frequently at some of the world’s most important and prestigious halls, and with Europe’s most distinguished orchestras and ensembles, and will be making his debut with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the Grafenegg Festival in the 24/25 season.
Image credit: Kaupo Kikkas
