Curators Monica Curro and Stefan Cassomenos have set out to examine our heritage and bloodlines, and to rejoice in “the miracle of how millions of notes in the hands of master musicians are crafted into stunning sonic stories,” all the while paying homage to the Ancient Greek mosaic and the inspiration of the Muses. Over three days, master musicians and ensembles – including The Consort of Melbourne, Vox Plexus and the PFSMF Children’s Chorus – will bring these stories to life.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Prize-winning pianist Peter de Jager is one of Australia’s most accomplished musicians, thrilling audiences with his performances of music from award-winning Bach and Mozart to Xenakis and Chris Dench on various historical keyboard instruments, and intriguing them with his own compositions. Winner of the 2011 Australian International Chopin Competition, Peter performed the formidable complete solo keyboard works of Xenakis at the 2017 Melbourne Festival to critical acclaim, and his performance of Chris Dench’s monumental 98-minute Piano Sonata, which he commissioned, won him the 2017 Art Music Awards Performance of the Year. Together with Actor/Writer Bethany Simons he co-wrote and performed Reception: The Musical, which was nominated for a Greenroom Award, and delighted audiences Australia-wide (most notably at the 2019 Port Fairy Spring Music Festival.)

Peter makes a triumphant return to PFSMF for multiple performances of mind-bogglingly virtuosic piano repertoire, including this blazing tour-de-force recital, showcasing prized gems of the Iberian cultural sphere – from the 1500s-1600s with Cabezón and Jiménez, to more familiar Scarlatti and Albéniz, via exciting detours to Brazil and Cuba, and concluding with fellow virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin’s own homage to Scarlatti.