12 Hands 6 Grands

A rare feat – experience 6 of Australia’s best pianists playing 6 grand pianos in a virtuosic kaleidoscope of music.

Beginning with the genius of Bach, the program also features past and present Australian composers and a generous helping of Latin dance rhythms. 

For a concert pianist isolation is the norm: practising alone and performing solo – so what happens when 6 of them come together in Sydney’s Town Hall?  

In 12 Hands 6 Grands, the Sydney International Piano Competition’s Artistic Director, Piers Lane, has invited 6 of Australia’s best female pianists to join in a rare collaboration. Some are laureates of the competition, all are luminaries of the piano.  

Bach’s compositions provide the foundation, beginning with a simple prelude passed around the circle, before the program pivots to Australian music, with arranger and composer Grainger taking his cue from Bach’s dancing rhythms and weaving melodies. There’s reflective calm in music from Kats-Chernin’s Lebewohl concerto; Robert Keane introduces a Latin spirit; and the fabulous Jamaican Rumba inspires a flurry of fingers. 

A collaborative performance of duos, trios and quartet, 12 Hands 6 Grands culminates in an astounding, musically complex performance by all 6 pianists – unleashing the sheer power and sublime expressive beauty of concert grand pianos.

Sydney Festival is running a Covid-Safe program. Find out more on their website.