The Piano Interrupted project was founded by English composer and pianist Tom Hodge and French electronic musician Franz Kirmann. The principal character of Piano Interrupted’s music is the grand piano, whose acoustic capabilities are strengthened by the duo’s computer exoskeleton in the form of electronic rhythms, sound effects, loops and glitches. Invoking the heritage of different musical periods — from romanticism and minimalism to improvisational jazz and techno — Tom Hodge and Franz Kirmann synthesise their own electro-acoustic sound.

In March 2016 the duo will put out their third LP, Landscapes Of the Unfinished, composed under the evident influence of ambient and African music.

Pavel Karmanov is one of the few contemporary composers that create melodically beautiful and easy-to-understand music. The graduate of Moscow Conservatory and a member of the iconic avant-garde rock band Vezhlivy Otkaz has mastered different composer’s techniques — from serialism to pseudo-baroque, but minimalism has left a distinct mark on his creative work. His favourite contemporary composer is Michael Nyman, and Karmanov sometimes engages in his works in a dialogue with the British musician.

The concert will include five post-minimalist works for piano and strings. This is “the best of Pavel Karmanov”, a collection of his best-known compositions, including the high-profile Trout Quintet. The compositions will be introduced by the author.