Kōrero with Piers Lane

Q: You're undertaking quite a remarkable journey with these Nocturnes - performing all 21 in a single concert. What drew you to present them as a complete cycle?

It was a project I first undertook in the Chopin bicentenary year, 2010. I had the idea of presenting them by candlelight - goes with the nocturnal atmosphere - and did then at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden for the Chopin Society of London. They proved popular and every year since , I have been asked to perform them somewhere or other. They're such a special set of pieces, I'm not surprised.

Q: Chopin composed these Nocturnes across his entire career, from age 17 until just before his death. How do you see his evolution as a composer reflected in these works?

The change of language and harmony and counterpoint and soul searching from beginning to end is remarkable - makes you wonder where he'd have gone had he lived past the age of 39.

Q: The Nocturne form is often associated with nighttime moods and contemplation. How do you approach conveying these different emotional landscapes to your audience?

I seek out very deliberately all the poignancy, all the subtle nuances of expression and extraordinary range of emotion they contain and aim at a very particular 'Chopin' tone, a sound that sings, but with a certain classical purity.

Q: These pieces are often described as among Chopin's most intimate compositions. As a performer, how do you create that sense of intimacy in a concert hall setting?

One hopes that the hall acoustics and pianos in each venue will allow for intimate sound - a sound that carries to the back of the hall, but which draws people in, rather than assailing their ears!

Q: Do you have a personal favourite Nocturne, or is there one that you feel audiences consistently respond to in a special way?

I continue to find new things in the pieces all the time, and I love them all - my favourite changes from time to time - but the Db Op.27 No.2 is the one I have chosen to perform on its own or in small sets many times because I feel it transports people.

Q: You've performed extensively in Aotearoa over the years. What makes New Zealand audiences unique, and how has your relationship with them evolved?

I guess I have met many people in audiences throughout New Zealand on many occasions and have developed really some very close friendships throughout the country, so that makes the audiences special for me. My very first visit was to Dunedin on the initiative of the late Pamela Bryce and my New Zealand career grew steadily from that introduction, through CMNZ tours both solo and with quartets, and many performances with orchestra. I've also been involved with judging competitions like the Wallace Piano Competition or the Michael Hill Violin Competition, have presented lectures and recitals at teaching conferences and performed at festivals like the Nelson with my dear friends the NZSQ. I've also travelled to Hamburg on several occasions to select Steinways for various halls - and was in Christchurch for the first earthquake, about to commence a tour with the Doric Quartet from London. That left an indelible impression and made me feel closer still to audiences there.

Q: Do you see yourself interpreting these pieces differently here? Does the environment or atmosphere influence your approach?

I think that performing all the Nocturnes thirteen times in a row will certainly affect my interpretations. That's one of the exciting things about touring a particular programme - you inevitably discover new approaches to phrasing or to particular harmonies, you find new things to love. Nothing teaches one more about a work than communicating it to an audience and yes, it's different every time. You never get bored repeating programmes because you always discover new subtleties and different pianos and acoustics bring out different responses. I remember years ago practising until 3 in the morning in the Marama Hall at the University of Otago - I simply couldn't leave, because I was discovering all sorts of things in the music I was practising because of the unique aviation in that little venue. I adored it! So yes, different environments and atmospheres evoke unique responses.