Einaudi at the Royal Albert Hall: Solo Piano Nights This Month
It has been a big week for piano at the Royal Albert Hall, and it is not over yet. On Monday the Hall hosted Classic FM Live, and next week Ludovico Einaudi arrives for two solo piano evenings on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 April. For anyone living or staying around Knightsbridge, these are the concerts of the month, a short walk across Hyde Park or along Kensington Gore.
Einaudi, alone at the piano
These nights are part of Einaudi's Solo Piano series, which brings the Italian composer back to the format that made his name. The format is deliberately intimate: no band, just Einaudi and the instrument, playing his best-known pieces alongside deeper cuts and a few surprises. In a room the size of the Albert Hall, that contrast is the point. Few venues make a single piano feel quite so dramatic.
The cellist and composer Redi Hasa plays a short solo set as the first half of the UK and Irish dates, so arrive in good time. Stage time is 7.30pm, with doors at 6.45pm, and tickets have been listed from £45 to £125 including fees on the promoter's Einaudi page. Demand for these dates has been strong, so check for returns rather than assuming you can buy on the night.
Monday's warm-up
Classic FM Live on 20 April set the tone. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Seal, was joined by pianist Alice Sara Ott, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, violinist Nemanja Radulović and guitarist Rosie Bennet, with the evening hosted by Classic FM presenters. The Classic FM event page has the full line-up, and it is well worth watching for future dates if you missed it. Between the two events, it is a good reminder that the Hall's spring calendar is about much more than the summer Proms.
Making an evening of it
- Before: Book an early table in Knightsbridge and walk over. Brompton Road to the Hall is around twenty minutes on foot via Exhibition Road, or you can take the park route along South Carriage Drive.
- During: The Hall has its own bars and restaurants, which fill up quickly on busy nights. Pre-order interval drinks if you can.
- After: A late cocktail back in Knightsbridge or Belgravia rounds off the night nicely, and most hotel bars around Hyde Park Corner serve well after the concert ends.
Getting there
The Royal Albert Hall is on Kensington Gore, SW7. South Kensington is the nearest station, about ten minutes' walk up Exhibition Road. From Knightsbridge station allow twenty minutes on foot, or take one of the buses running along Kensington Road. Taxis gather on Kensington Gore after concerts, but on a full night it pays to plan your journey home in advance. If the weather is kind, the walk back to Knightsbridge across the park is the nicer option anyway, at least until the gates close at midnight. See our full guide to the Royal Albert Hall for seating tips and the best places to eat nearby.
Lead image: Loco Steve via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
