The music of Mozart

The keyboard music of Mozart is seen as a model of perfection; the sleek lines of the melodies and exquisite harmonies ideally suited to the modern grand piano.  However, Mozart’s own instruments and those around him offer a dramatically different sound world and thanks to researches in performance styles, our understanding of how Mozart’s music may have sounded has deepened enormously.

This course aims to delve deep into the Classical piano music world in order to enhance our performances of Mozart, Haydn, Clementi, early Beethoven and others when we perform on the modern piano: an instrument that could have astonished them!

We are delighted to be offering this long-awaited course with brilliantly talented keyboard player and Early Keyboard Consultant to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal Welsh Colleges, Steven Devine.

The course is suitable for pianists playing at an upper intermediate to advanced level.

As well as a one-to-one lesson with Steven, weekend tuition will include two workshops and the chance to play in and observe two performance masterclasses also. Themes to be explored are:

• “Why bother with the early piano?”

• “Did Mozart live in a vacuum – did his idea come from thin air?”

“He’s building a reputation as an outstanding recitalist; this completion of his ‘48’ is a highly satisfying account.” BBC Music Magzine November 2020

On Saturday evening, guests can sit back and relax in the main hall of the family home and enjoy a performance by Steven himself. This is an opportunity to hear an artist regularly featured on BBC Radio 3 perform an exclusive private concert in a relaxed setting. An inspirational treat not to be missed!

During their stay, guests will also:

• Enjoy access to play on our 9 grand pianos anytime between 7am and 8pm. (There are enough pianos to go round that everyone can play a piano at any given time.)
• Join and socialise with a group 8 fellow piano enthusiasts during lunch and dinner.
• Dine in style with lunches and three course dinners prepared by our fabulous chef.
• Experience the Finchcocks bubble, hailed as a “paradise for pianists” by BBC Music Magazine and stay in a grade 1 listed country manor.

Plus ones are very welcome on our courses, with a room surcharge dependant on whether they are a playing or non-playing guest. Please ask for further details.

Steven Devine enjoys a busy career as a music director and keyboard player working with some of the finest musicians.

He is the Principal Keyboard Player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, The Mozartists and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made six solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. The complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) has received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine. Steven has recently released  Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (“it’s the one of all I’ve heard in the past ten years that I am happiest to live with.” Early Music Review)  – available on this site.

He made his London conducting debut in 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall and is now a regular performer there – including making his Proms directing debut in August 2007 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has conducted the Mozart Festival Orchestra in every major concert hall in the UK and also across Switzerland. Steven is Music Director for New Chamber Opera in Oxford and with them has performed repertoire from Cavalli to Rossini. For the Dartington Festival Opera he has conducted Handel’s Orlando and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. He is currently conductor and Artistic Advisor for the English Haydn Festival in Bridgnorth.

Steven works regularly with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Trondheim Barokk, the Victoria Baroque Players (BC, Canada) and Arion Baroque Ensemble (Montreal).

He is Early Keyboard Consultant to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal Welsh Colleges, and teaches fortepiano at the Royal Academy of Music.

Finally, Steven is thrilled to be a member of the ground-breaking Art of Moog: an electronic music group specialising in the performance of Bach.

For booking enquiries, please contact Jenny by filling in the form below.