Being an accomplished piano player can be a profoundly lonely experience. Take it from classical piano icon Jean-Michel Blais – the 37-year-old began his relationship with the instrument aged 9, writing his first compositions at 11, and eventually releasing a stream of piano-focused albums which earned him a Libera Award, two Polaris prize nominations, a #1 on the Billboard Classical chart and more.
To be a pianist of such eminence takes dedication and practice, spending four to six hours every day engaged in solitary dialogue with music. It’s a fantastic privilege to be so ensconced in the world of the piano. But as the pandemic took hold in 2020, Blais started to wonder if there was more to music than this, leading to a time of great catharsis that paved the way for the bold new direction of his next album, ‘aubades’.
Named after the Middle Ages notion of romantic music written for dawn and daybreak, with this new record Jean-Michel Blais has created 11 aubades for 12 musicians, all of which celebrate rebirth, a season in bloom and the expectation of a new day to come. Having spent most of his career playing, writing and performing music alone, the circumstances of life around April 2020 suddenly put this solitary way of working into stark relief.
Presented by Bristol Beacon
Unreserved seated event
Age: 14+ (Under 18s to be accompanied by an adult)
Doors: 19.30
Start: 20.00
End: 23.00