Top British pianist to play in Chch

Press, 9 May 1984, Page 23

Top British pianist to play in Chch

One of Britain’s top pianists will give a recital in Christchurch tomorrow evening. Miss Iris Loveridge will perform in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Barbados Street, at 8 p.m. This is her first visit to New Zealand. Miss Loveridge said she came on the invitation of friends who had moved to New Zealand in 1981. “They wrote and asked me if I wanted a working holiday,” she said. Since her arrival two weeks ago, she has given seven concerts in the North Island, and one in Kaikoura. After the concert in Christchurch, Miss Loveridge will return to Auckland for a concert.

Miss Loveridge has visited several countries in recent tours, including Canada, Scandinavia, Germany, France, and The Netherlands. New Zealand audiences were no different from those overseas, she said. “They either like it or they don’t.” Although New Zealand audiences had so far been smaller than those she was used to Miss Loveridge said that they seemed to be starved for music. The response had been overwhelming, people were enthralled by it, she said. During her 40-year career, Miss Loveridge has performed with most leading British orchestras and conductors. She has one of

the largest concerto repertoires of any pianist. She is an authority on British music and many British composers have written work especially for her. Miss Loveridge has made several records and is a frequent performer on radio and television, and has played the piano since she was aged seven. In the second half of the concert on Thursday, Miss Loveridge will play the Four Rhapsodies by Dohnanyi. It is usual for pianists to play only one of these and few other pianists in the world can play all four. Miss Loveridge gives an explanation of each piece of music in the programme before it is played.