ANGELA HEWITT

These concerts are generously sponsored by Carole Alexander.

SUN, APR 20, 2025
4:00PM / Newmark Theatre

“charm, balance, proportion, ferocity”

Angela Hewitt—one of the world’s most revered pianists—returns to PPI for an afternoon of musical brilliance. Renowned for her crystalline clarity, poetic phrasing, and unparalleled insight into Bach’s music, she has enchanted audiences from Carnegie Hall to La Fenice. Now, Portland audiences have the rare opportunity to experience her artistry once again at the Newmark Theater.

Handel’s Suite No. 2 in F Major, HWV 427, opens the program with regal grandeur, followed by Bach’s French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817, where elegance and dance intertwine. Haydn’s Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52, dazzles with contrasts—fiery virtuosity balanced by intimate lyricism. Returning to Handel, Hewitt performs the Chaconne in G Major, HWV 435, a hypnotic exploration of variation. Brahms’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op. 24, closes the recital in a breathtaking display of invention and power.

Hailed as “one of the busiest pianists on earth” (London’s Evening Standard), Hewitt has earned four Juno Awards, a Gramophone Award, and the Wigmore Hall Gold Medal. She is among the few women to have recorded the complete Beethoven Sonatas and is the visionary behind Italy’s Trasimeno Music Festival.

More than a recital, this is a rare chance to experience an artist at the height of her powers. Join us for this extraordinary afternoon and witness Hewitt’s mastery up close.

HANDEL

Suite No. 2 in F Major, HWV 427

BACH

French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817

HAYDN

Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52

HANDEL

Chaconne in G Major, HWV 435

BRAHMS

Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op. 24

  • PRE-CONCERT LECTURE: Arrive early to the concert and listen to an insightful pre-concert lecture given by Bill Crane, executive director, and Amelia De Vaal, Resident Musicologist — 3:15 PM (Sunday).

    PROGRAM NOTES: Get a start on learning about this program by reading the program notes.

GET TO KNOW ANGELA HEWITT

NATIONALITY:

Canadian

HOME:

London

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION TO CREATE MUSIC?

I find inspiration from everything in life: first of all the music itself and also the lives of the composers. What it meant to them to write such a piece. That’s very important. I also find inspiration in other people, in friendships, in world news (which at the moment is a source of great tragedy). As Schumann himself said, “Everything I experience in life goes into my music.”

HOW DOES ARCHITECTURE INFLUENCE YOUR MUSIC-MAKING?

I enjoy playing in fantastic historic venues as I have for my festival in Umbria, Italy: for instance the 15th-century courtyard of the Castle of the Knights of Malta in Magione, and the Basilica of San Pietro in Perugia: both fabulous places which inspire you to give your best.

DESCRIBE A ROUTINE YOU HAVE IN PLACE THAT HELPS YOU LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE.

I watch my diet and avoid all wheat, dairy, and drink only very rarely (less and less actually) and try to avoid sugar as much as possible. I feel best when I eliminate it altogether, but it takes great willpower. I do that best when I’m at home alone and simply don’t have anything in the house that contains sugar. During lockdown that was possible and I came out of it having lost weight!