Luke Howard, James Heather at Dublin Unitarian Church

Blown away by just how special this night is going to be.
Either of these artists by themselves playing Dublin would be cause for much joy, but of them on the same bill is sheer ecstasy.
There are few things on this planet as pure, as focused and as emotionally direct as getting to feel the power of solo piano as a mode of musical delivery.
When the composers themselves sit down to share their music with you in such an intimate way it offers up a perfect refuge from daily life.
 
James Heather played a magical concert for Born Optimistic in November 2017 and as expected his trajectory has shot upwards since. His music is both straightforward and complex, instantly accessible yet rewarding of multiple listens....

read more

Blown away by just how special this night is going to be.
Either of these artists by themselves playing Dublin would be cause for much joy, but of them on the same bill is sheer ecstasy.
There are few things on this planet as pure, as focused and as emotionally direct as getting to feel the power of solo piano as a mode of musical delivery.
When the composers themselves sit down to share their music with you in such an intimate way it offers up a perfect refuge from daily life.
 
James Heather played a magical concert for Born Optimistic in November 2017 and as expected his trajectory has shot upwards since. His music is both straightforward and complex, instantly accessible yet rewarding of multiple listens.
Since James played last in Dublin the acclaim has been coming thick and fast:
“Incredibly emotive pieces. A tender, touching album” Loud and Quiet (Albums of the Month) 
“This classical masterwork seems like it has simply come out of nowhere.” Bandcamp (Albums of the Week) “Stories from Far Away On Piano is a fragile, beautiful album – reminiscent of modern composers such as Nils Frahm and Max Richter.” Line Of Best Fit “Heather joins a growing group of pianist-composers who have learned their lessons from the classical masters and invented a new language for our own time.” iTunes “Capable of supreme tenderness and yet, tonally, hugely powerful.” Mixmag “Shimmers on the cusp of emotive melody and ambience.” Mojo His tracks have gone on to receive over 60 million plays on Spotify, Apple  and other services. Heather’s music has featured on many Spotify playlists such as Peaceful Piano, Lucid Dreamer and Most Beautiful Songs In The World. Whilst on Apple, Heather has been featured on playlists such as Headspace and Meditative Moments and reached number 2 on the UK classical charts in iTunes. Heather is one of the new school set of ‘post classical’ artists flourishing in the wake of the long, steady but recently accelerated success of figureheads like Max Richter and Nils Frahm, and the wider public’s overdue but now burgeoning relationship with this varied genre.
Australian Music Prize-nominated composer Luke Howard has been described as “absolutely heavenly” (Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 6) and his music as “an ambient masterclass” (Musos’ Guide), but no words can fully capture the potency of Howard’s enthralling compositions. A pianist since childhood, Howard has scored films and performed with artists as diverse as Lior and Jeff Mills, capturing audiences with contemporary classical arrangements that curl and twist around the boundaries of a particular emotion. Though wordless, Howard’s songs perform a function unique to music as a medium – that of evoking without describing, bringing listeners to a feeling which defies articulating.
Now signed to UK label Mercury KX (Lambert, Olafur Arnalds, Solomon Grey), 2018 has seen the release of Howard’s third solo album Open Heart Story, which explores fragmented relationships, childhood memories and the passage of time. He has also toured extensively with shows in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), Istanbul, London, Moscow, and Warsaw. Back home in Melbourne, Howard also composed music for the virtual reality project The Unknown Patient (which premiered at the Venice Biennale) and the short film The Sand That Ate The Sea.
Howard is one of Australia’s foremost practitioners of contemporary classical music. Having already accomplished so much and with more on the horizon, he is set to captivate audiences worldwide.

show less