Lost pianos given new voice in De La Warr concert

Pianist Matthew Bourne will be breathing life into the skeletons of six discarded pianos when he presents his new project Songs from a Lost Piano at Bexhill's De La Warr Pavilion on Tuesday night.

By The Newsroom

Published 2nd Mar 2009, 15:12 BST

Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:11 BST

Calling on ghostly memories of hymns, music hall songs and pub sing-a-longs, the brilliantly maverick pianist takes the missing hammers, broken strings and absent keys of six instruments as a rich source of unusual sounds, creating music that conjures the ghosts of their bygone days.

He brings with him discarded gems from his search, including the decaying elegance of an upright, passed down from mother to daughter, a legless carcass from a Wesleyan Methodist chapel and the faded glamour of a white cocktail grand.

He says "Some of these instruments have had amazing lives and just when they might be relegated to the dump, I want to save them"

Matthew has numerous awards to his name including Perrier Young Jazz Award and BBC Radio Jazz Innovation Award, 2002.

Tuesday's concert starts at 8pm and tickets are 12.

Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion