Meet Rustam, our brilliant soloist for the Ravel Piano Concerto

If you’re at a loose end on Saturday 28^th March, come along to St John’s church in Waterloo. We’ve got a treat in store for you.

We’re performing Ravel’s gorgeous Piano Concerto in G major – a brilliant and original piece that draws on influences from jazz and blues to Basque folk elements. It has an extraordinarily beautiful second movement that Ravel claimed was written  “two bars at a time”, inspired by the slow movement of Mozart’s clarinet concerto.

Our soloist at St John’s is the acclaimed pianist Rustam Khanmurzin. Here, we meet up with Rustam to learn about his musical journey from Siberia to South Kensington, and to discover what he enjoys about this exciting work.

Growing up in Siberia 

Rustam comes from Surgut, a small town in Siberia. “It’s deep in the woods,” says Rustam. “The town is famous for its oil and gas reserves, but is also associated with a serious piano tradition. Before Covid, Sergut hosted a piano competition for children, with three rounds and a final round performing with an orchestra.”

His family loves music and encouraged Rustam to learn the piano. “I had my first lesson when I was five,” he says. “I wanted to start practising as soon as possible, but was still waiting for my piano to be delivered. My grandmother made a practice keyboard for me out of velvet paper. I practised on that until my piano arrived. I still associate the touch of that paper with my earliest musical memories.”

With the support of his family and teacher, Rustam’s passion for the piano flourished. He went on to study in Moscow for ten years, going to as many concerts as possible in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Next stop: the Royal College of Music

After Moscow, Rustam felt called to London, where he already had many friends. “I had to discover a new place to keep growing,” he comments, adding that, “London stunned me with its musical life. It’s so vibrant. Every venue – from the Wigmore Hall and the Royal Albert Hall to the Royal Festival Hall – has such a strong individual feel.

“I was also fortunate to be recommended a fantastic piano professor, Ian Jones, Deputy Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music, who became my guardian angel.”

Winning First Prize at the RCM Concerto Competition

In 2019, Rustam won First Prize at the RCM Concerto Competition. If you’ve ever watched the film ‘Shine’, you may recall that the main character won this competition by performing Rachmaninov’s famously challenging Third Piano Concerto.

Rustam chose to play a rather less well-known piece: John Ireland’s Piano Concerto in Eb Major. It’s not often performed, so Rustam was surprised to discover that one of the panellists, Leon McCawley, had performed it at the BBC Proms a month earlier.

“The whole experience was so memorable,” he says. “I’d tried to enter the competition twice before, but hadn’t been successful. On my third attempt, I looked on it as a side quest. I didn’t learn the Ireland specifically for the competition. So it was wonderful to win. It was my first ever professional concerto engagement in the UK and I was able to perform with the Elgar Sinfonia of London.”

What’s special about the Ravel Piano Concerto in G major?

“I love everything about it,” says Rustam. “The rhythms, the orchestral colours, the excitement it brings, it’s just marvellous. The harp solo in the first movement is amazing and the second movement makes me cry every time I hear it. The hardest thing when playing this concerto is not to be carried away by the beauty of it.”

Hear Rustam playing the concerto with The Moscow Conservatory Concert Symphony Orchestra. 

Rustam appreciates the way that Ravel makes the most of the piano’s artistic possibilities. “As a pianist, Ravel understands the piano so well,” says Rustam. “From the performer’s perspective, the concerto evolves and develops very naturally. It’s a tribute to Ravel’s pianism.

“You have a chance to get into the mood without being under the pressure of overcoming huge technical difficulties. In contrast, I performed Arthur Bliss’ Piano Concerto in Bb major two years ago, which starts with one of the most difficult octave passages in piano literature.”

Check out the crazy octave opening passage of the Bliss piano concerto here.

Ultimate virtuosity, complete sensitivity

Our Principal Conductor, Thomas Payne, shares why you shouldn’t miss Rustam’s performance of the Ravel Piano Concerto in G. He says: “Rustam is delightful. He plays so well. He has ultimate virtuosity but also complete sensitivity. He’s able to bring the best out of the piano. He knows the concerto inside out and we are really looking forward to collaborating with him on this marvellous piece.”

Book now to hear Rustam on 28^th March

As well as the Ravel, we’re also performing Elgar’s In the South, a sun-drenched overture inspired by an Italian holiday, and Gershwin’s swaggering An American in Paris, a symphonic postcard bursting with the irresistible pulse of a city in motion.

Book your tickets here. 

We hope to see you in Waterloo on the 28^th!

By Fiona Thompson