Piano concert by Xenia Pestova Bennett of Hans Otte's 'Das Buch der KlÀnge' to mark the centenary of the German composer, at the Crescent Arts Centre.
Xenia Pestova Bennett plays The Crescent Arts Centre on Friday 23 October, as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival. She'll be performing Das Buch der KlÀnge ('The Book of Sounds'), a piece by the German composer and pianist Hans Otte (1926-2007), and the concert marks the centenary of his birth.
Das Buch der KlÀnge is a massive work, running just over an hour across twelve continuous sections. It's often described as a cornerstone of meditative minimalism and a forerunner of the 'post-classical' movement that's so present in contemporary music today. Otte shaped it around Zen Buddhism and the idea of healing through sound, so it's less of a traditional recital and more of a long, unfolding stretch of music. If you're into the quieter, more textural side of the piano, this is exactly that kind of thing.
Bennett herself is a pianist, composer and improviser. BBC Radio 3 describes her as a brilliantly free-thinking and fearless pianist and a leading proponent of uncompromising music, with work that spans classical, contemporary art music, free improvisation, electronica, multimedia and avant-pop. She's not just playing Otte here, either: she'll be presenting a feature documentary on him for BBC Radio 3 in November, so this performance sits right in the middle of that project.
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The concert is presented by Moving on Music in association with the Belfast International Arts Festival 2026. It's held at the Crescent Arts Centre, a four-storey historic building on University Road that stages dance, music and theatre alongside its classes and workshops. Doors open at 19:00, and the music runs from 19:30 to 20:30. Tickets are ÂŁ15, with a ÂŁ10 concession.
