Star pianist pairs Shostakovich and Bach in an intimate start to Sydney Opera House music series.

Sydney Opera House Utzon Room

April 6, 2014

There’s nothing new about performing excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier alongside Shostakovich’s 24 preludes and fugues.

A few years back Roger Woodward did it in concert in Sydney. But whereas that was series with a Herculean aspect to it, much like Angela Hewitt’s performance of the entire Glorious 48 at the 2008 Musica Viva Festival, British pianist Joanna MacGregor’s brief survey of four preludes and fugues from each composer was intimate and ideally tailored for the Opera House’s Utzon Room.

MacGregor is a warm, witty and inspiring performer. She is billed as a ‘provocateuse’ for her imaginative programs and crossover collaborations, which include UK jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard and rock guru Brian Eno. She is also a composer in her own right, a conductor and teacher. She is currently head of piano at the Royal Academy of Music.

This holistic approach to music showed in her Sydney program. Rather than pitching Bach and Shostakovich against each other this was more a question and answer session, with Bach of course asking and Shostakovich responding.

MacGregor believes the composers have...