Shostakovich & Rosenberg: Reflections on Contemporary Russia - review
- Nigel Edmund-Jones
- 35 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Billed as Shostakovich & Rosenberg: Reflections on Contemporary Russia (Steve Rosenberg & Petroc Trelawny in conversation and performance), this was an unusual event as part of the short 2025 London Piano Festival (Oct 9-12) , given that Steve Rosenberg isn't a professional pianist. However, he is not only an expert on contemporary Russia (having lived there since 1991 and as BBC News Russian Editor since 2022), but also an enthusiastic amateur pianist and Eurovision song competition expert! 'Music is a much-needed anchor in my life', he said.
The event was held at Hall 2 in Kings Place, next to the Guardian's building in King's Cross and near the bustling Coaldrops Yard development. The stage was enticingly set with just a glimmering black Steinway grand piano and two comfortable chairs.
The piano music of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-75) was the thread that pulled the event together, with a short opening performance of two of his Preludes and Fugues played by Jeremy Chan (with a foot pedal-controlled iPad providing the page-turning of one-page-per-screen sheet music).
Petroc Trelawny guided Steve Rosenberg through a short biography of his life in Russia (all fully detailed on this wikipedia page, which also provided the programme notes). A handful of funny anecdotes interspersed three piano pieces played by Steve: Shostakovitch's Waltz No. 2 (from the 1938 Suite for Variety Orchestra/Jazz Suite No. 2 and its use on several film soundtracks), then an original composition of his own and, finally, a Russian-inspired arrangement of Barry Stoller's theme for BBC's Match of the Day - 'because Shostakovitch was football-mad', apparently).
Steve speaks fluent Russian and says that he will stay in Russia to see through to the end of Putin's seemingly never-ending ('like a Tolstoy novel') power saga. While the war with Ukraine is going on, Putin is also building new theatres and concert halls across Russia, to allow the feelgood arts to flourish. Putin has also reinstigated a Russian version of the Eurovision Song Contest, from which Russia has been excluded since 2022, called Intervision 2025 International Song Competition. I shall leave you to guess (or Google) which 20-odd, Russia-friendly countries took part. Spoiler alert: USA were included, with both performer (until withdrawn before the final) and juror; Vietnam won!
It was a shame that more time wasn't given to Steve's obvious love of music (and for the piano in particular), but his take on contemporary Russia was certainly fascinating. His piano playing seemed impeccably prepared and he performed with obvious musicality. Bravo!
To end the event, Berniya Hamie played two more energetic Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovitch. Her sheet music was also on an iPad, this time using a two-pages per screen format and finger-swiping for page turning. The audience showed extended approval of her performance.
This insightful and entertaining hour played to a packed house. The tales of dark contemporary history of Russia and the growling and sparkling tones of the Hall's dark Steinway grand were clearly a big hit with the audience, who gave Steve and Petroc very appreciative applause before they headed back into the early October autumnal sunshine.
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Co-founded and artistically directed by Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva, the London Piano Festival [https://www.londonpianofestival.com/] was launched in 2016.
Listen to Steve Rosenberg's Eurovision 10-minute piano suite on YouTube: https://youtu.be/04dgluu2j1Y?si=IFGlfarTYmuMM2f8
and 'jamming' with Mikhail Gorbachev:
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