Magdalene Ho
She played her first notes on the piano at the age of four. Magdalene Ho was born in California but grew up in Malaysia. Although neither of her parents made music themselves, they loved it immensely. The family moved to England, where Ho received her education. Magdalene Ho embodies passion, dedication, communicative power, and a modest stage presence. After winning the Clara Haskil Piano Competition in Switzerland in 2023, doors opened for her. Gramophone speaks of 'boundless imagination and character, not to mention her transcendent virtuosity'. Ho previously performed a lunch concert in the Kleine Zaal with great success. Now the stage belongs to this young Malaysian pianist once again.
From Haydn to Medtner
In this program, we encounter the playful Haydn and the underrated Medtner in the company of the schizophrenic Schumann, the inwardly tormented Liszt, and the ecstatic Scriabin. Food for psychologists, or perhaps even psychiatrists, but what magnificent music all these stirrings of the soul have produced! A cosmic energy vibrates in Scriabin’s trills; Haydn serves up a lightning-fast finale with a wink to his pupils, usually young ladies. Medtner’s ‘threatening’ sonata reflects his melancholic exile, and with Schumann and Liszt, there is always that woman in the background—Clara, Marie d’Agoult, even Petrarch’s Laura. Love, mysticism, and drama: the whole of life summarized in one unmissable recital.