Ursula Oppens with RNCM Pianists: The People United / Mon 22 Jun

Internationally acclaimed pianist Ursula Oppens joins over 30 RNCM students in this extraordinary side-by-side concert, in which emerging artists perform alongside a world-class musician as equals on stage.

The American pianist is celebrated for her championing of new works for piano. Supporting innovation in repertoire coupled with tradition has made her a pioneering figure across her long career. At the heart of her collaboration at the RNCM is Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated! – 36 virtuosic variations based on Chilean protest songs. Exhilarating and technically demanding, the work often quotes from popular music while remaining a compositional tour de force, with Oppens and students sharing the movements between them.