Symphonic Dances for Two Pianos – Ivana Gavrić & Tim Horton (Playhouse, Sheffield)

A thrilling two-piano concert of colour, rhythm and raw energy

Two of the UK’s most compelling pianists, Ivana Gavrić and Tim Horton, return to Sheffield’s Playhouse for an evening of spellbinding music for two pianos.

Following their 2025 concert described by Bachtrack as “piano playing at its most… visceral”, this new programme dives deep into the rhythmic power, colour, and drama of early 20th-century repertoire — culminating in one of the great virtuoso statements for two pianos.

The programme

At the heart of the concert is Sergei Rachmaninov’s own two-piano arrangement of his Symphonic Dances — music brimming with propulsion, dark lyricism, and electrifying rhythmic drive.

The full programme includes:

• Claude Debussy – En blanc et noir
  Expressionistic and vivid, this work conjures shifting clouds of colour and sharp contrasts across the two keyboards.

• Maurice Ravel – La valse
  A hypnotic, swirling portrait of a society dance spiralling towards excess and collapse. As Ravel himself described it:
  “Whirling clouds give glimpses, through rifts, of couples dancing… The light of the chandeliers bursts forth, fortissimo.”

• Sergei Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances
  Urgent, muscular, and deeply expressive, this final masterpiece showcases the sheer power and colour possible when two pianists work as one.

A special Sheffield performance

This concert will be recorded by BBC Radio 3 for future broadcast, marking it as a standout event within Sheffield’s classical calendar.

Booking offers

This concert is part of the Music in the Round Sheffield series:

• Save 20% when booking 10 or more concerts in one transaction

• Save 10% when booking 5 or more concerts in one transaction

🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/symphonic-dances-for-two-pianos