Angela Hewitt needs her audience. While she may be the inheritor of Glenn Gould’s status as Canada’s preeminent classical musician, she declares herself his opposite: “It would be sad,” Hewitt says, “to give all these concerts and not enjoy the interaction with people.” Her approach to her audience—personal and generous, and giving with her time—is reflected in her playing. Though her repertoire is broad, she is known for her deep dives into the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Scarlatti, and Schumann.
She is a workhorse, playing dozens of shows a year, while operating the administrative strings behind her concerts, festivals, and records. “All the damn computer stuff can take it out of you… the hours I spend at the piano are focused, but they’re much more relaxing than at the damn computer.”
Angela Hewitt was born in 1958 in Ottawa into a musical family. Her father was a church organist and choirmaster, and her mother, a piano teacher, gave Hewitt her first lessons at age three. Her cycle of Bach’s complete keyboard works—370 pieces recorded over 20 years, from 1994 to 2014—was met with acclaim. Hewitt’s musical intuition heightens Bach’s to the point where the two no longer seem separated by 300 years; her “Well-Tempered Clavier” ticks along as if the master was there beside her, nodding benchside while his star pupil plays. In 2016, Hewitt embarked on a “Bach Odyssey,” performing the complete keyboard works over 12 recitals across the globe.
Then she began on Beethoven, recording his 32 Piano Sonatas in nine volumes. More recently, she has embarked on Mozart’s Piano Sonatas, the first record of which was released in November 2022. Under her light touch, overly symmetrical at times, is a technicolor of sound. Hewitt draws out Mozart’s wise gaiety, playing with a levity that underscores Mozart’s youth at the time of their composition.
A 2001 visit to Umbria, Italy began a new chapter for Hewitt. In 2005, she founded the annual Trasimeno Music Festival, drawing listeners to the village of Magione and the shores of Lake Trasimeno. The weeklong festival sees Hewitt as a recitalist, chamber musician, song accompanist, and conductor, playing alongside both established and young artists of her choosing. The 18th iteration of the festival begins on June 29, 2023.
Hewitt was at her home in London when we spoke, having recently performed at Wigmore Hall (which she has called her “home stage”), and in Bad Elster, Germany. The next day, she was giving a concert in Rhosygilwen, Wales.
“I’m in a total panic,” she said. “Because I’ve got so much to do. I’m here for two days, then I go away, then I’m here for three days, then I go away for six weeks, then I come back for two days.” I said I’d keep my questions brief.
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