Vince In Recital

Welcome to the Vince in Recital home page. "VIR" is my low key and rather fun take on a piano concert where I chattily debunk and play the best music ever written for the instrument in a relaxed, informal, and sometimes unusual setting. This show won the Melbourne Fringe Music Award in 2005 and in 2008. (Bio and other stuff about me is here).

VIR Tiny Logo

Upcoming Gigs

I'm currently writing the material for a VIR concert of piano and electronic music influenced heavily by the riffs of 80s computer games, and more specifically the music written for the 6581 SID chip as found in the Commodore 64 (and is still revered today by electronic musicians for it's unique and organic sounds). The performance date is going to depend largely on when the music is written! The new material will be performed alongside famous piano pieces that have made appearances in early computer games.

I am playing a more regular recital in early march 2010:

CMS Recital - "Romantic Impressions" (aka "How to Score a Date with Venus") - A delicious mix of Romantic-era epics (Chopin G minor Ballade, Schumann Fantasie) followed by my two favourite French sea pieces, Ravel's "Ship on the Ocean", and Debussy's "Joyous Isle" about the home of Venus the love goddess. Nobody's sure whether the piece is about setting off to find the island, or about leaving it having presumably had an enjoyable stay, or something else entirely. Great music though.

Tuesday 2 March. 10.30am. Camberwell Uniting Church. 314 Camberwell Rd. Tix at the door $17/$15/$5(children). More info at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~music/html/morning_concerts_2010.html.

Discography

VIR 2004 CD Booklet

Vince in Recital 2004 Live! The entire 2004 show recorded live at Melba Hall, complete with cunningly trimmed chattiness to reduce boredom when listening! It costs AU$15 - send me an email to get one!! info@musicmakeplay.com

Earlier Shows

VIR2009 - "Schumann and the Art of Piano Destruction" - Rowan Vince plays the phenomenal opus 17 Fantasie of Robert Schumann, then proceeds to destroy a piano with a sledge hammer, bolt cutters, and digital effects. Features original music for piano in the process of destruction by Tim McKenry.

2, 4, 10 oct 2009. 8pm. Czech House, 497 Queensberry St, North Melbourne. Tix $10/$15. ph 9660 9666, or at the door, or visit http://www.melbournefringe.com.au, or from the Fringe Info Centre.

This year's "VIR" program is a rough attempt to portray Schumann's transformation from romantic genius to tragic madness. Schumann permanently damaged his hands by sleeping with a self-designed finger stretching device clamped between the fingers. He voluntarily committed himself to a lunatic asylum for the last two years of his life for fear of harming his wife Clara.

The first half of the one hour concert features Schumann's Fantasie op. 17, possibly his most famous large scale piano piece. It is epic in its conception and according to Franz Liszt, to whom it is dedicated, represents the spirit and career of Beethoven.

The finale is the wholesale destruction of an irredeemable old upright piano. Microphones lead from the piano to a digital effects unit. Astounding destruction ensues. Features the premiere performance of a newly commissioned piece for piano in the process of destruction by Melbourne composer Tim McKenry.

"A powerful technique ... reduced the instrument to smithereens with extraordinary grace." - Piano Daily Express - Sep 2008

There are some photos of our initial rehearsal here.

VIR2008 - "Late Night Piano Club" is coming for Melbourne Fringe 2008. Six nights of Rach, Chopin, Albeniz, Rowan Vince, and a few surprises in the cool, clubby, and bar-equipped surrounds of Czech House at the Fringe Hub.

24, 25, 26 sep, and 2, 3, 4 oct 2008. 8pm. Czech House, 497 Queensberry St, North Melbourne. Tix $15/$20. ph 9660 9666, or at the door, or visit www.melbournefringe.com.au, or from the Fringe Info Centre in Federation Square...

Imperturbable prestidigitator Rowan Vince escapes the concert hall for some intimate evenings at the piano. Full blooded romantic repertoire in the first half (Albeniz, Chopin, Ravel, Rachmaninov) gives way to a jovial ending with Scarlatti, some children's songs from Mozart and Debussy, and finally some Scott Joplin, and Liszt. There is the odd eclectic surprise along the way.

"Something about him is absolutely charming ... behind that Botticelli face there is a pianist" - Herald Sun - 27 Sep 2005

"Skillfully late night sounding, even though it wasn't all that late. Sounded clubby too, and like a piano." - Piano Fix, Jan 2008

Vince in Recital 2007 - "Spanish Dance, French Dream". Lush piano with chatty diatribe a'la Victor Borge on valium. Unabashed Fringe '05 Music Award winner Rowan Vince plays some of the most phenomenal Spanish and French piano music ever at one of Melbourne's finest recital venues. Scarlatti, Albeniz, Ravel, and Debussy. Complete with chatty interludes between pieces and interval refreshments! Tue 9, Wed 10, Sat 13, Sun 14 october at 8pm. Melba Hall, University of Melbourne Faculty of Music, Royal Pde, Parkville. Tix $15/$20. (03) 8412 8777 or www.melbournefringe.com.au or at the door.

Guided by the dubious verbal wit of the performer, the audience is taken on a journey through some of the most significant Spanish and French composers of all time. Well, OK Scarlatti was Italian, but he wrote his 500 brilliant keyboard sonatas whilst living in Madrid. Rowan plays four of these. Selected works of Albéniz follow with their amazing amalgam of guitar and dance idioms with romantic piano technique.

After interval drinks comes the dreamy heady whirl of French impressionism: works by Ravel from Mirroirs, and selected masterpieces by Debussy.

Binding the halves of the concert together are themes of water, ships, travel, and adventure that recur in many of the pieces

Catch the latest Vince in Recital 'When Russia Found Romance' with pianist Rowan Vince as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival 2005. The concert showcases piano masterpieces from Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev following the romantic piano from Germany to Russia via Poland and into the second world war.

The Melbourne Fringe Festival and Music Make Play present a magical piano event live at the Lithuanian Club in North Melbourne this September.

Rowan Vince will play the much loved music of Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev. Rowan's unique performance style beautifully evokes this music in an informal and intimate setting. At the grand piano, he plays and chats about the music, making this a wonderful music experience for all to enjoy.

"I have brought together some of the best pieces ever written for the piano, music that I love and love playing," says Rowan. "I want to make music more accessible - in the way it is presented and the venues it's played in. Don't expect an austere recital performance - I interpret the music and intersperse my playing with chatty interludes." If you're a long-term lover of classical piano or a newcomer, this is a concert not to be missed!

Vince In Recital has three performances, 23 - 25 September at the Lithuanian Club North Melbourne.

Vince in Recital 2004: Rhapsodic Piano from Bach to Gershwin and Beyond. Rowan Vince takes a trippy heady ride through some darn flash piano playing. Features rhapsodic masterpieces from Bach (D major toccata), Chopin (G minor Ballade), Liszt (Second Hungarian Rhapsody), Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue) and Rowan Vince. Lashed with smatterings of Debussy and Schubert.

This is an all ages piano recital with a fun, relaxed feel. The virtuosic repertoire is interleaved with chatty commentary from the performer.