The life story of Sergey Prokofiev through his diaries and stories.

You are invited to experience the life of Sergey Prokofiev, one of classical music’s greatest storytellers, in a unique concert-drama. A thrilling new blend of music and theatre, The Wandering Tower is Prokofiev’s life story set against a backdrop of his own music. Prokofiev’s life merges with his musical compositions – and his stories – to reveal both the artist and the man.

Famous for his Peter and the Wolf and Romeo and Juliet, Prokofiev was essentially a storyteller. As well as setting familiar fairy-tales to music, he wrote many of his own. It is these very stories that give shape to his life. The Wandering Tower, a ‘true’ modern fairy-tale, shows how powerfully art can affect our lives.

The professional actor, writer and director Tama Matheson tells the story accompanied by Alexander Karpeyev on the piano.

WHEN: Friday, 13 October 2023, 19:00 – 20:30 (doors open at 18:30). Performance will be about 90 minutes long without intermission.
WHERE: The Chapel, Churchill College, Storey’s Way, Cambridge CB3 0DE. Please use the Main Car Park close to the Chapel.
LANGUAGE: English
TICKETS: CamRuSS members / Concessions (Students, under 16, Senior Citizens) – £10. Non-members – £15.
Book via AllEvents.

About the performers.

Tama Matheson

Tama Matheson is an award-winning playwright, actor and director. He was educated at Oxford University and the University of Queensland. His plays have been performed in Australia, England, and Europe, and he has published poetry and articles in Australia and America.

Tama has worked with numerous theatre and opera companies, including Covent Garden, the Sydney Opera House, South Australian Opera, Perth Opera, the Mariinsky Theatre, Teatro Real Madrid, Houston Grand Opera, and Baden Baden Opera. He has also worked with Valery Gergiev, Franco Zeffirelli, Dmitry Hvorostovsky and Placido Domingo. Tama’s play about Tchaikovsky, Bright Stars Shine for Us, recently recorded as a radio drama by Simon Callow, was shortlisted for the 2021 RPS Storytelling Award.

Alexander Karpeyev

Alexander Karpeyev, a Russian pianist resident in the UK, has performed throughout the UK and Europe and toured in the USA, Canada and Russia as a concert soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. He featured as ‘One to watch’ in the International Piano magazine.

A graduate from the Moscow Conservatory and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he is the winner of the Dudley International Piano Competition, the Norah Sande Award as well as the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medal. In 2014 Alexander completed a music performance practice doctoral degree at the City, University of London, based on the Edna Iles Medtner Collection in the British Library. He is often asked to give masterclasses and lectures on Russian performance practice. Alexander’s performances have been featured on Sky Television and BBC Radio. He has recorded for Chandos Records, SOMM Recordings and Claudio Records.

Prokofiev: The Wandering Tower. Cambridge, 13 October 2023