Article from the Proms Archive
Wednesday, 10 June, 2015
Sergey Schepkin
Artists for the Proms are selected in many ways. Here committee stalwart David Crossley tells how we chose one of this year's star performers.
'I normally play Bach while working at the computer. Listening to a disc I bought some years ago, I was enchanted by the measured, rhythmical and delicate performance of American pianist Sergey Schepkin.
He performed with the metrome regularity of Glenn Gould but with more feeling, conjuring space from nowhere for trills and grace notes.
I managed to contact him in the US and from that and subsequent conversations we tempted him to St Jude’s.
Sergey is a Steinway artist who has won many awards and some of the committee were privileged to attend two private recitals at the Steinway Hall.
The New York Times called him “a formidable Bach pianist”. The Boston Globe dubbed him “an artist of uncommon, almost singular capability and integrity”. We were inspired to add him to our list of Proms performers.
At St Jude’s he will not play Bach but, at his suggestion, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23 accompanied by the Kammerphilharmonie of Europe.
The orchestra, well-known to audiences at Mill Hill Music Club, will also perform Vivaldi’s Concerto di Parigi, Faure’s Pavane and Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto.
Do come along and enjoy this mix of enchanting and eclectic music. I guarantee you will love it'.