C. Bechstein Recital Series with Martin Jacoby

We are excited to be joined for the first time in our C. Bechstein Centre Manchester recital series by Martin Jacoby.

The evening's programme will be:

Beethoven: Sonata in Ab, Op. 110 – Moderato cantabile molto espressivo (1821)

Op. 110 is Beethoven’s penultimate for solo piano, and stands amongst the most highly respected works for the instrument.

Debussy: La cathédrale engloutie (1910)

Tells the story of the city of Y’s, in which a cathedral, submerged under water rises from the sea on clear mornings when the water is transparent.

Chopin: Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 1 (1836)

The C sharp minor nocturne has a rousing and dark opening theme which gives way to a dramatic middle section which in turn leads to a Waltz like dance before its climax.

Ravel: Sonatine (1903 – 1905)

A small scale sonata following the form and structure of majority of the three movement sonatas of the romantic and classical periods. Ravel wrote the first movement for a competition and was allegedly the only entrant, but was disqualified for going a few measures over the limit!

Martin Jacoby

Two Days in Tokyo (2015)

Written in 2015 for my first original studio album ‘Plexus.’ This piece utilises the oriental sound of the pentatonic scale, used at the beginning of the piece on the black notes in the key of Gb, and then later on the white notes one semi up in the key of G major. It is about starting new journeys, being reflective, open and welcoming new experiences, cultures and people. It is a kind of poem; a winding and pensive message of thanks…

Something Borrowed (2020)

Written for my second full length original album entitled ‘imitating life.’ Featuring an ostinato left hand pattern throughout the majority of this piece the pulse of three is clearly marked through an intwining series of modulations eventually leading to a climax in which the rhythmic meter is temporarily disturbed, before returning to its previous material, but this time more reflective and conclusive. It is music of a whimsical nature, innocent and witty!

Aurora (2020)

Inspired by the minimalistic music of Philip Glass, Aurora in its original form features a deep pulsating, non-harmonic synth in the background, with some light distortion on top. The piano drives the emotion from the tenor range of the piano which slowly builds to a crescendo culminating in a breaking of the range in the form of an octave baseline which after so much time in the middle of the instrument feels like a moment of emancipation!

S O N D E R (2019)

Released as a single in late 2019 as a precursor to the ‘imitating life’ album release the following year, S O N D E R is one of my most popular releases. Its driving melody, harmonic shifts and clearly defined structure are possible reasons for this. The word sonder defines the realisation that each passer-by is living a life as complex, vivid and nuanced as your own. This can be a freeing realisation, I think!

Waltz (2023)

My most recent composition, released in January of this year. Waltz was written after an extended period of compositional inactivity. After being asked by the record label I worked for to write something new, and following the incredibly difficult year for me, writing this piece was a breath of fresh air. It is written in memory of my father, who we lost one year ago tomorrow, and who was my biggest supporter and a great lover of the arts, particularly music. The piece is about grief, and this is explored in the opening theme, the middle section from where the song takes its name, combines those feelings of loss with my memories of him and his character. Stylistically it fits somewhere in between the first works of mine you have heard today and the previous work SONDER.

About Martin:

Martin Jacoby is a professional pianist and composer based in Manchester U.K. Born in Nottingham, England he began his musical instruction at the age of 6. From the age of 18 Martin began performing across the United Kingdom, both as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2007 he began studying classical piano performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. In 2011 he was awarded a full scholarship to complete a Masters of Performance at the same institution.

2012 saw Martin debut an original show entitled Debussy and Ravel: Earth and Water at the Petersham Playhouse which included, amongst other works, a complete performance of Ravel's infamous 'Gaspard de la Nuit.' During this time Martin started working as a recording artist. In 2014 Martin went on to sign a recording deal with Ameritz music. Together they made over 80 professional recordings of classical, contemporary and original music, which were released between 2014 and 2017. This catalogue of recordings has amassed hundreds of millions of streams over the years and is still available to stream today on all major platforms.

As part of this project, Martin released his debut album 'Plexus' in 2015. It was a series of nocturne like works for solo piano and two piano duet. This was followed in 2017 by the EP 'Evergreen' which featured the Up North Session Orchestra. 2020 saw the release of his second original album entitled ‘imitating life.’ Martin continues to work alongside Ameritz record label, and most recently in January 2024 they released and distributed his most recent work ‘Waltz’.