One of the great windfalls of classical music, the prestigious, valuable and happily maverick Gilmore Award is given every four years to a pianist who has no idea that he or she is in the running for it. Past recipients have included Leif Ove Andsnes and Piotr Anderszewski.
In 2010 it fell into the unsuspecting lap of Kirill Gerstein, acknowledging him as a musician who combines high calibre with curiosity and imagination. Born in Russia, he began his studies as a jazz pianist but switched to classical and contemporary. His programme here reflects wide-ranging interests, with a piece by Oliver Knussen that lays to rest an idée fixe of the composer’s scores through the past three decades.
