“The crown is back on Wigmore Street,” declared Terence Lewis at the “black-tie press night” of the new Bechstein Hall in London. During the opening ceremony, the Artistic Director of Bechstein´s new concert hall reminded of the former Wigmore Hall, which is located only a few footsteps away. The old “Bechstein Hall” was founded by C. Bechstein in 1901 and changed its name to Wigmore Hall when it was expropriated in 1916, caused by the First World War. The new jewel of London´s musical life, Bechstein Hall, is located in a stately building at 22 Wigmore Street, which has been home to the piano maker Brinsmead since 1892, who also operated a small concert hall there. With its 100 seats, the new Bechstein Hall is considerably smaller than the first one, but thanks to a smart lighting and sound design, it appears and sounds much bigger!
At the press night, the pianist Lucy Parham performed under the illuminated starry sky and interpreted the life of Clara Schumann together with actress Juliet Stevenson. The texts and compositions were perfectly coordinated and harmonized. In addition to musical works by Clara and Robert Schumann, compositions from their musical and private environment like Chopin and Liszt to Mendelssohn and Brahms were presented in a unique manner. Lucy Parham presented her musical performance with great differentiation, supported by the clear but not dry acoustics of the new concert hall. From the finest pianissimo to a powerful forte, the C. Bechstein concert grand D 282 and the hall had no limits. Lucy played enchantingly on the keys and earned enthusiastic applause from her expert audience.
The fantastic evening ended with a champaign reception at which the on-site restaurant demonstrated great culinary qualities - a highly important point, since enjoying delicious food in the own restaurant makes part of the new Bechstein Halls concept. Thus, musical and culinary delights can be combined to create an unforgettable evening!
Fotos © Chris Christodoulou
