ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary

I have heard Sokolov play many times in Rome, much to the envy of those in the UK where he no longer feels the need to set foot. Rules and regulations have made many artists’ lives a burocratic nightmare, where even Trifonov was forced to cancel many engagements recently. No worries for those in Rome where Prof Bruno Cagli, the much missed artistic director of so many important institutions in Italy, had stipulated a lifelong friendship between Sokolov and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. Even if Prof Cagli is no longer with us his influence is still to be felt in Rome where he was artistic director of L’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Teatro dell’Opera and the Filarmonica Romana and in Pesaro, where he founded the Rossini Festival too.

Sokolov appeared in semi darkness to play a programme that was made up of three master works of Beethoven and Schubert. The programme,like Arrau’s programmes, were a statement in themselves of the serious intent of a Master. Sokolov unlike Arrau though, after this sumptuous feast would adjourn to the drawing room for more lightweight conversation of intimate reflections. And so it was that at almost eleven o’clock with an artist who even he towards the end of a monumental performance of Schubert’s last sonata was beginning to show signs of fatigue, such had been the intense concentration. Returning to the platform two or three times with his inimitable penguin like stance of aristocratic bearing, greeted by an audience that also needed time to recover from the trance that had been created, waiting for the moment when the atmosphere was ready for more music.

And what music! Starting this ritual after dinner contemplation together in good company, with a Chopin Mazurka op 50 n. 3 in C sharp minor that was in many ways the highlight of the concert. Schumann had describe the 59 miniature tone poems as ‘canons covered in flowers’ . They were written by a poet of the keyboard, exiled from roots that had been ingrained in his soul from birth, and it was this that came through so meaningfully in Sokolov’s performance tonight.Of course there was the ravishing sound of velvet beauty but also a full orchestral sound of sumptuous richness that was never hard or ungrateful but rich and meaningful. The coda of the mazurka was one of those moments that will remain with me for long to come. As Mitsuko Uchida says it is a memory that becomes ever more beautiful with time, not a printed postcard that turns brown at the edges and fades. The same sumptuous richness filled this vast space with the sounds of Brahms’s Rhapsody in B minor op 79 n. 2, with its even more marked final ritardando, where Sokolov underlined the composer’s very precise notation with ever more poignant breathless meaning. There were sublime etherial sounds in the ‘Intermezzo’ that is the 3rd Ballade op 10 . After the disjointed veiled symphonic sounds ( similar to his op. 4 Scherzo) ,Brahms takes us to a place that was his own secret world of solace and isolation and that Sokolov whispered with sounds that reached even the paradisical heights of this vast auditorium, with searing intensity. Two more Mazurkas followed with an audience about to turn into pumpkins before long, but that refused to leave the hall. Sokolov dusting the keys with the refined beauty of Chopin’s op 68 n. 2 in A minor showing as Volodos is won’t to do, that the movements of the body are like an artist before his canvas and the strokes of the keys are the shape of the very sounds that he is creating. The art of creation is all one, as Chopin described music, to his aristocratic students, it is like trees with roots firmly planted in the ground but the branches free to move with natural Godgiven freedom. A refined grandiose Mazurka in D flat op 30 n. 3 was played with a beguiling rubato of aristocratic timelessness. And finally the intimate confessions of glistening ambiguity of Scriabin’s Prelude in E minor op 11 n. 4. With the clock about to chime midnight we may have only just made it in time to our carriages before they turned into pumpkins!

The actual programme had begun with Beethoven. The Sonata op 7 one of three of the early sonatas where the composer breaks away from Papà Haydn’s influence and the slow movements in particular become imposing statements of profundity.The Sonatas op 2 n. 3 ,op 7 and op 10 n. 3 pave the way for the genial invention of Beethoven throughout his thirty two Sonatas that are like a barometer of the turbulent life of a genius. This was followed by the last work that Beethoven wrote for the piano which are the Bagatelles op 126, that like the Chopin Mazurka’s are concentrated thoughts and emotions condensed into just a few bars. Sokolov today though was under the influence of Schubert and whatever he touched was an outpouring of song of ravishing beauty with the expansive flexibility of a singer. The Sonata was more of Haydn than is usual with many great pianists who have championed this work from Glenn Gould to Michelangeli. They have given more edge to the sound and made more of the dramatic contrasts as they had been influenced by the future whereas Sokolov was influenced by the past. The first movement opened with a sedate almost pastoral ‘Allegro molto e con brio’ where, of course, there were contrasts as Sokolov followed Beethoven’s indications with scrupulous attention to detail.It was, though, a performance that belonged more to the 1700’s than the 1800’s and it produced some wonderful playing of surprising beauty. The remarkable ‘Largo,con gran espressione’ had sumptuous rich chords of string quartet quality where every strand had a meaning of its own and where Sokolov gave great depth to the sound. The reply at the top of the piano sounded like a bird commenting from on high and was a remarkable moment that took me totally by surprise. The Allegro (Scherzo) too was played with pastoral beauty as the (Trio) was like a diabolical wind suddenly entering this peaceful landscape. Real Schubertian beauty to the Rondò where the undulating beauty of the final bars could almost have been Schumann rather than Beethoven. It was a remarkable, unexpected performance, where Sokolov was able to recreate this early work with the originality that people of the day must have discovered. A public and perhaps even composer that still had no idea to what heights of innovative genius the turbulent life of a genius would lead to. We that know, are often influenced in performance and impose on the music things that are still to come. Sokolov with genial intuition of a master interpreter could enter a world that is rare to experience, especially when using the modern day instruments that Beethoven could only envisage in the later part off his life when he could no longer produce the sounds that he could hear in his head.

The Six Bagatelles op 126 are miniature tone poems that Sokolov played with simplicity and profound understanding. From the ‘Andante con moto’ of whispered glowing beauty to the irascible ‘Allegro’ always tempered by beauty rather than brutality. The beautiful ‘Andante Cantabile’ was allowed to unfold so simply and even the usually tempestuous ‘Presto’ was more beautifully played than I can remember, with the etherial melodic line floating on the bagpipe sounds in the bass. The simple unfolding of the ‘Quasi Allegretto’ was interrupted by the tempestuous outburst of the last Bagatelle. Dissolving into the fragmented searching of the Beethoven in his last piano sonata, where gradually the pieces come together on a miraculous wash of sounds. Even the final outburst was tempered by Sokolov’s wish today to make everything sing.

And it was Schubert’s B flat Sonata that was the glorious monument that Sokolov revealed to us today. An outpouring of beauty, similar to Volodos, but Sokolov has something within the notes that is beauty tempered by visionary intuition of an interpretative genius. I missed sometimes the hard edge of Brendel or Serkin or the aristocratic beauty of Rubinstein.It had something of the beauty of Uchida or Zimerman but Sokolov seemed to have much more freedom and intuitive sentiments ,with the raising of an eyebrow or a knowing nod and other slight inflections that allowed the music speak with a voice that I have never noticed before ( as Brendel said to Simon Rattle preparing to play together – here I do things!). They are changes of colour ,inflections, chords that have a fullness of sonority, in fact a kaleidoscope of colour and chameleonic character at the service of the composer. Those remarkable bars of the ritornello of the first movement will haunt me for long to come as will the extraordinary freedom he gave the melodic line in the last movement. The simple radiance of the ‘Scherzo’ that was indeed ‘vivace con delicatezza’ and the ‘Trio’ with its unnerving left hand accents that were played without any enfasis or ulterior meaning.

In short it was a voyage of discovery that revealed today the true Universal genius of Schubert ready to meet his maker on equal terms.

Grigory Sokolov A Genius in contemplative mood in Rome

Sokolov casts his spell over the Eternal City

Sokolov in Todi……..”…..the greatest pianist alive or dead?”

The Sublime Perfection of Sokolov

‘Fearless music making of an artist who listens to herself and recreates the music with poetic sensibility and passionate commitment……….. the Barbara Streisand of the piano …………… a showgirl with a heart of gold and a dedicated artist of rare communication’.

Described by The New Yorker as “adventurous and passionate,” Ukrainian pianist Inna Faliks is distinguished by her communicative artistry and her refined exploration of tone colour.

Opening her recital in the the Fazioli Concert Hall, with Beethoven’s Fantasy in G minor op. 77 followed by Schumann’s Fantasy op.17.

Beethoven’s Fantasy is a true improvisation, as impatient scales interrupt the simple beauty of his melodic invention with quicksilver changes of character before bursting into passages of fearless daring and impish syncopations that Inna played with remarkable clarity and dynamic drive. The melodic episodes were played with great beauty and a sense of balance, where Beethoven’s Alberti bass became waves of harmonies on which the simple melodic outpouring could float with disarming ease. Her masterly use of the pedal allowed for a clarity but also a glowing radiance to the sound, bringing a sheen of colour to the massive number of notes that she played with masterly ease. An extraordinary work that is rarely heard in the concert hall, written at the same time as the Choral Fantasy and in Inna’s hands one begins to wonder why it is not more often heard. She played it with an innate understanding for its improvised character as she was able to change from irascible virtuosity to simple radiance in an instant, via passages of dynamic drive and technical flamboyance.

It was the same sheen of sound, as described by Schumann, quoting from Schlegel : “Resounding through all the notes, In the earth’s colourful dream, There sounds a faint long-drawn note, For the one who listens in secret.” It is the note of G that sounds throughout the entire first movement where Schumann even quotes, in the coda, from Beethoven’s  ‘An die ferne Geliebte’ (to the distant beloved): Accept then these songs beloved, which I sang for you alone. Both the Schlegel and the Beethoven quotations were for Schumann written with Clara in mind, his future wife and the future mother of their 8 children : ‘The first movement may well be the most passionate I have ever composed – a deep lament for you.’ Inna played the opening with glowing sounds on which she floated the melodic line with passion and radiant beauty. A continual flow of sounds given an architectural line, both noble and visionary, with playing of great fluidity. Inna plays with very high wrists and spindly fingers that can etch out sounds of glowing beauty. With her superb sense of balance the movement became one long song in which single notes or technical hurdles became a long poetic outpouring of passionate intensity.  The second movement was full of symphonic sounds with Schumann’s dotted rhythmic phrases shaped with loving beauty, helped always by the sumptuous richness of the bass. A continual forward movement that brought us to the central melodic episode bursting into a featherlight, capricious interlude that Inna played with a kaleidoscopic delicacy as it lead back to the opening march and the infamous leaps of the coda. Throwing caution to the wind, as Inna was more concerned with the musical shape and passionate intensity than note picking accuracy. These were moving harmonies spread over the entire keyboard with transcendental difficulties for the pianist, which Inna continued to imbue with the sumptuous rich sounds of this magnificent sounding piano. The last movement was allowed to unfold with languid beauty building to a climax that was more of passionate intensity than triumphant enfasis. The final climax unfolding into a coda where the melodic line was played with disarming beauty as it passed from the treble to the bass with timeless radiance, building in improvised intensity only to end in a whisper of poetic beauty.

The Symphonic Studies opened the second half of the recital with the same rich sounds that she had closed the first. A piano of sumptuous richness and a pianist who knew how to shape the notes with taste and style. The theme of the variations was given an extraordinary sense of character as this was the rock which was to carry us through a series of variations and studies until the final twelfth study. Placing the five posthumous studies strategically with poetic understanding, as they were fitted into an architectural shape of imposing beauty and brilliance. There was a grandiose nobility to the Andante second variation and a butterfly lightness to the third study, where the melodic line in the tenor register was allowed to emerge with fleetingly ‘will o’ the wisp’ beauty. It was here that she inserted the first two posthumous studies of vibrant intensity. The fourth study /variation 3 was played with spiky brilliance leading into the fifth study/variation 4 of lightweight elegance. It was here that the third posthumous study was inserted with its ponderous beauty of poignant weight. Variation 5 was played with dynamic drive, the melodic line emerging in the tenor register with alternating hands of simple brilliance. The Gothic cathedral (Agosti’s description) of the seventh variation was played with nobility and searing intensity, and it was after this that Inna inserted the fourth posthumous study of delicacy and glowing languid beauty. She brought Mendelssohnian brilliance to the ‘Presto possibile’ eighth variation, contrasting with the ninth, a bel canto of glowing beauty, where Inna floated the melodic line on a wash of changing harmonies. It was at this point that she introduced the most beautiful of the posthumous studies with playing of magical radiance. The Final variation was played with driving rhythmic energy and fearless abandon of exhilaration and excitement.

Inna’s Schumann has a velvet richness to it, where the mellifluous beauty of Schumann seems to appear under a cloud of architectural understanding that adds aristocratic monumentality and poetic meaning to these masterpieces of the Romantic piano repertoire.

Tchaikovsky’s delicate ‘Barcarolle’ was played with simple beauty allowing the music to unfold with a palette of colours that gave a nostalgic voice to Tchaikowsky’s poetic depiction of June.

I have heard Inna play Liszt’s ‘La Campanella’ before but today not only was it of a crystalline clarity and dazzling transcendental command, but it was imbued with the same poetic beauty that she had brought to all that she played in this recital.

This was fearless music making of an artist who listens to herself and recreates the music with poetic sensibility and passionate commitment.

I once described her as the Barbara Streisand of the piano and this recital just goes to show how right I was. A showgirl with a heart of gold and a dedicated artist of rare communication.

Inna Faliks grandiose Brahms of aristocratic intelligence and passion

Inna Falik’s Love of Life – The extraordinary story of a great artist told with mastery,intelligence and beauty

A remarkable reappearance at the Parco della Musica of Alessandro Taverna. He brought all the lightness and crystalline clarity of his beloved Venice to illuminate Prokofiev’s third concerto. A performance of refined musicianship with Eliot Gardiner at the helm, that was a true chamber music performance of extraordinary clarity with moments of ravishing beauty and savage abandonment.

Always with the architectural line in mind with an orchestra that was happy to be part of such intimate music making.

I was at Taverna’s Wigmore Hall debut promoted by the Keyboard Trust and his mentor Noretta Conci some years ago. A first half of Bach and Mendelssohn but a second of the breathtaking virtuosity of crystalline clarity and mastery that I was reminded of today, when Alessandro was given centre stage by orchestra and conductor to play an encore: Max Reger: Fugue from his Telemann Variations, where his mastery and breathtaking virtuosity brought him a well earned ovation.

Francesca Dego and Alessandro Taverna ignite the Wigmore Hall

Taverna rules the waves in Rome with The Benjamin Britten Piano Concerto

Alessandro Taverna at the Filarmonica

Bruce Liu in Florence with playing of refined brilliance and poetic beauty . A programme that is the stuff that dreams are made of. Bruce was sharing his dream with us as he drew the audience into his world, rather than projecting it out to ours.

The extraordinary whispered ‘moto perpetuo’ was anything but the ‘fanfare’ of Ligeti’s title. A fairytale played with velvet gloves on a quite extraordinary jeux perlé of astonishing whispered clarity. Leading without a break into Beethoven’s ‘Moonlit ‘ sonata . A whispered undulation of notes on which a melodic line emerged in a movement that never rose above mezzo forte. But for those that listened carefully Bruce shared a multitude of emotions with slight inflections or rhythmic interruptions of subtlety, as everything was understated and never underlined. Even the melody in the bass as the movement draws to a close was simply revealed in golden hues . Very similar to the end of the Fantaisie Impromptu that Bruce played as an encore.

An ‘Allegretto’ all grace and lightness adding more weight to the thumb notes on the repeats like jewels sparkling from deep within. A trio with very dark bass notes delayed to give it even more of a demonic character, before this cloud passed and grace and lightness were allowed to reign once again.

A ‘Presto agitato’ of volcanic energy as seen from afar, with a crystalline clarity and even elegance, rather than the more usual invasive intrusion into this ‘moonlit’ landscape.

Many of the works that Bruce shared with us today pivoted around the calm and purity of the key of C. Thus after a Beethoven in C sharp minor, the first of Chopin’s two nocturnes op 27 in the same key.

It is one of Chopin’s most mysterious, but also most disturbing of Nocturnes. A real tone poem in just a few pages, with its delicate and poetical opening which Bruce played with a refined aristocratic rubato. A gradual turbulence that Bruce did not allow to disturb this magic ‘engloutie’ landscape, but was dispatched in an instant with an octave cadenza of declarative insistence, dissolving almost immediately, into Bruce’s magic world once again. It was in this world that the D flat nocturne was overheard with the glistening beauty of one of Chopin’s most perfect belcanto melodies. Bruce shaped it with exquisite finesse and refined phrasing allowing the music to speak with a voice of sublime beauty. Cascades of notes were like jewels overspilling from an outpouring of passionate intensity, before retreating to a coda of intimacy and timeless beauty. One could almost hear the audience gasp as Bruce, a true poet of the keyboard, shared such whispered intimacy with us.

A spell that was immediately dispelled as Ravel’s ‘Jesters song at sunrise’ was recounted with crystalline clarity and astonishing spiky brilliance, as the lovers separated at dawn with passionate, palpitating intensity. Ravel combines the flavour of Andalusian folk music with Lisztian pianistic acrobatics, such as double glissandi and extremely fast repeated notes. They may look simple on the page, but making sure each semiquaver note triplet is heard is the mark of a true virtuoso (and the sign of a well-functioning piano action). The four bar fragment marked “Plus lent” is jarring in its palpitating simplicity after such spiky agitation. Ravel alternates the slow and dreamy fragments with sections that grow more and more agitated until the original mood returns. Equally capricious is the close with its dissonant harmonies and with Ravel’s rich palette of sounds. It was here that Bruce could let us savour his extraordinary pianistic mastery, as the Jester’s mask slipped, to reveal the passion and fire that Bruce had kept hidden for too long.

After the interval Bruce chose Debussy’s Rêverie to bring us back into the world that he had chosen to share with the public in this magic city that is the ‘museum of the world.’ A work that Debussy wrote when he was 28 for a magazine run by his friend, and although he did not think much of it , a critic of the day described it as ‘a very pleasant sounding piece with a somewhat simple but certain melodic charm’. Debussy himself was more self critical, when fifteen years later he was to say :’ Vous avez tort de faire paraître la “Rêverie”… C’était une chose sans importance faite très vite pour rendre service à Hartmann ; en deux mots : c’est mauvais ‘. Bruce played it with shimmering beauty, streams of golden sounds of flowing simplicity which suited the mood of the recital where Debussy ‘s Rêverie and Mompou’s ‘Au Clair de la lune’ were to be the framework surrounding one of Beethoven’s most dynamic Sonatas.

The ‘Waldstein’ Sonata fits Delius’s description of Beethoven as being ‘all scales and arpeggios’. It is a ‘tour de force ‘ for any pianist and is really in two dynamically driven movements, the second being a ‘Rondò’ prefaced by an Adagio molto introduction. The slow movement that Beethoven had intended was published as the ‘Andante favori’, a separate work that could stand on its own and had no place in the framework of his op. 53 Sonata. Suddenly Bruce was awoken from his poetic dream world as he imbued the opening with quicksilver energy. Careful not to disturb the architectural shape of this ‘Allegro con brio’ where the second subject was allowed to flow on this wave of energy that had been unleashed. Bruce playing with the electric stimulus of a Rudolf Serkin, but there was always a glowing sheen to all he did, only rarely allowing himself to play with the vehemence of the irascible and impatient composer. The ‘Adagio molto’ was again part of Bruce’s dream world with an exquisite palette of sounds, that although not orchestral were the ideal preparation for the music box opening of the Rondò. The alternating episodes of ever more dynamic drive and Beethovenian energy in this movement, was unleashed with masterly playing of driving intensity, suddenly uncorked by a coda at breakneck speed but of music box perfection. Bruce rising to the challenge with intensity rather than volume, as the octave glissandi he was able to play without licking his fingers as Serkin used to do, but allowing them to glide over the keys with masterly ease. The final few bars was where Bruce let his passion and dynamism take over from his poetical dream world, as his masterly virtuosity was shamelessly revealed.

There was a subtle beauty to Mompou’s magic sound world of ‘Au Clair de la lune’ that was rudely interrupted by Liszt’s declamation of Spanish Intent. The ‘Rhapsodie espagnole’ has long been a show piece for virtuosi of the Golden Age of the piano, Busoni even transcribed it for piano and string orchestra. Bruce played it with astonishing mastery of extraordinary jeux perlé playing with the exquisite finesse of a Levine or Levitski. There was also lurking in the wings, the breathtaking virtuosity of Horowitzian wizardry that brought this magical recital to an end.

Ever generous Bruce ,who admitted backstage that he was a bit tired, having had to battle to come to terms with a theatre of rather dry acoustic for the piano. It was a battle that he had won though, as the audience could testify, not wanting to not let this Poet of the Keyboard escape just yet.

Siloti’s magical Prelude in B minor was a wonderful oasis of peace after the circus like acrobatics of Liszt. Bach’s wondrous melody appearing in the midst of perfectly placed washes of sound made the audience want to enjoy this world just one more time. Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu was an ideal choice, where Bruce’s undulating jeux perlé was imbued with passionate radiance. A central belcanto of refined beauty and good taste and the gentle re entry of Chopin’s seamless strands of golden sounds brought this memorable concert to a fittingly poetic conclusion.

‘I have a dream’, one that Bruce so generously shared with us today.

Bruce Liu at the Wigmore Hall London A supreme stylist creating a new Golden Age of piano playing of mastery and refined good taste

Bruce Liu takes the Proms by storm Streamlined artistry of a modern day giant

Bruce Liu takes London by storm

An 80th birthday tribute to Luca Lombardi at the Goethe Institute with the illustrious beginning of Roberto Prosseda’s journey of exploration into Piano Italiano

The project opens Piano Italiano , directed by Roberto Prosseda, conceived in 2025 to represent the excellence of Italian piano throughout the country, and is a collective tribute to one of the most significant figures of contemporary music.

The concert featured Roberto Prosseda, performing some piano compositions by Luca Lombardi, flanked by two young emerging pianists Matteo Carnuccio and Filippo Tenisci, entrusted with the premieres of numerous musical tributes written especially for the occasion by composers from different countries: Samuel Adler, Francesco Antonioni, Tzvi Avni, Josef Bardanashvili, Matteo D’Amico, Giordano De Nisi, Fabrizio De Rossi Re, Peter Michael Hamel, Marcello Panni, Yuval Shaked, Stefano Taglietti, Roberta Vacca.

The concert was introduced by Sandro Cappelletto and Matthias Theodor Vogt.

The programme alternated important piano works by Lombardi, including Wiederkehr, Mendelssohn im jüdischen Museum Berlin , with a series of pieces composed as a tribute to the Maestro by contemporary international composers.These new compositions – for piano with two, three or four hands – constitute a mosaic of styles and poetics that testify to the vast network of artistic relationships built up by Maestro Lombardi during his long career.

At the end of the concert, on March 27 and 28 there was a conference : “Quo vadis, commitment? Trends and ideas of music from the 60s to today” – A symposium in honour of Luca Lombardi’s eightieth birthday. This is a project realised in collaboration with the German Historical Institute of Rome, the Seminary of Musicology of the University of Heidelberg, “La Sapienza” University of Rome and the Goethe-Institut of Rome.The concert on March 27 also was the official opening of the “Piano Italiano” 2026 festival, organised by the Mendelssohn Association, under the artistic direction of Roberto Prosseda.

This is the second edition of this Festival , dedicated to Italian piano music with a total of 20 concerts, which are distributed in different Italian cities and regions throughout 2026.

“I am really happy to announce the second edition of Piano Italiano” – comments Roberto Prosseda – “on the occasion of a very special event: on March 27 we celebrate one of the greatest living composers, Luca Lombardi, to whom I am also bound by a deep friendship for more than twenty years, and which will be celebrated with a real musical party: 12 composers have written new piano pieces in his honour, and we hear them in their first performances, alongside Luca Lombardi’s main piano works. This is the spirit of “Piano Italiano”: promoting quality Italian piano music, with particular attention to the most authentic and less commercial artistic voices, and at the same time giving space to new generations of pianists and composers, as also happens in this concert, thanks to the presence of the young talents Filippo Tenisci and Matteo Carnuccio”.

The Italian Piano season will continue with concerts at the Casa delle Culture e della Musica in Velletri, in Asolo at the Auditorium San Gottardo, then Rovigo, Turin, Florence and other Italian cities. Among the pianists who will perform this year, always in programmes focused on the Italian piano repertoire, will be Maurizio Baglini, Bruno Canino, Alberto Chines, Emanuele Delucchi, Massimiliano Génot, Benedetto Lupo, Alessandro Marangoni, Ruben Micieli, Marco Scolastra.

 www.pianoitaliano.it 

Roberto Prosseda a Phoenix hovers over Roma 3

Wagner & Liszt embark in Deal with Filippo Tenisci at the helm.

A room with a view shared with a recital by the young Alessio Tonelli as part of his Keyboard Trust prize awarded by Vitaly Pisarenko ( an emeritus KT artist ) at the Recondite Armonie competition in his home town of Grosseto. A programme he had already played with great success a few months ago at the Tuscia University in Viterbo .

Alessio Tonelli in Viterbo ‘Masterly playing of intelligence and beauty’

Here I include my review of the concert together with the superb live stream recording that Prof Franco Ricci has been offering young musicians for the past 25 years.

A career that is beginning to take flight as he finishes his masters at Perugia Conservatory with Mariangela Vacatello.

Beethoven op 109 Sonata , the first of his final trilogy, was played with fluidity and extraordinary musical maturity.The Brahms early Scherzo op 4 written in the midst of his Sonatas op 1 op 2 and op 5 which Schumann described as ‘veiled symphonies’. It was give a performance of orchestral colour where this 1890 Bechstein could reveal all the Daguerreotype colours that lie hidden within its noble framework, revealed only to those that delve deeply into its depths. Chopin’s Third Ballade played with youthful simplicity, untainted by the so called Chopin tradition as Alessio allowed its pastoral beauty to unfold with elegance and nobility.

Concluding with Liszt’s depiction of Dante’s ‘Inferno’, where this young man could unleash all the diabolical wizardry that had sparked the imagination of the greatest pianist the world has ever known. Not only pyrotechnics but the poetic musings of ravishment and seduction for which Liszt was also renowned on and off stage! An encore restored order with Chopin’s so called ‘Ocean’ study . ‘Waves’ of sound spread over the entire keyboard played with youthful mastery and refined intensity .

A wine tasting followed from the cellars of the sponsor the ‘Tenuta Bossi of Marchesi Gondi’, before I adjourned to my favourite wine bar in Via de’ Serragli to hear fascinating stories told by the extraordinary Florentines who are still so proud to be part of the Museum of the World.

I was happy to hear from Alessio of a career that is beginning to take wing . Thanks also to another emeritus Keyboard Trust artist, Gala Chistiakova and her husband Diego Benocci, who are bringing such cultural awareness to their home town of Grosseto .

As Alessio told me : ‘ Now I am attending a semester Erasmus at the Royal Conservatory of Liege in Belgium with the Belgian pianist Florian Noack (from February till July). I will play in China in the city of Nanping as a cultural collaboration between Nanping and my hometown city , Grosseto. (We will be 3 musician from Grosseto playing 1 recital each and then 3 musician from Nanping will come to play in Grosseto as well). In may I will also play a recital in Terni for a concert series dedicated to young pianists. (The week right after I return from China); In July I will play in Anghiari with the Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra under the conductor Alessandro Crudele as part of my prize as the winner of the M.Giubilei international piano competition (section dedicated to pianist up to 25 years old).’

Hats off to Simon Gammell and his team who have created, in collaboration with the Keyboard Trust, a window where extraordinary young talent can flourish and be displayed . A ‘ Room with a View’ indeed’

L.V.Beethoven: Sonata n. 30 op. 109

I.-Vivace, ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo

II.-Prestissimo

III.-Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung.

[Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo]

J.Brahms: Scherzo Op.4 

F.Chopin: Ballade n. 3 Op.47 

F.Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante – Fantasia quasi Sonata 

In the series of brilliant young pianists brought to the Library by our partners The Keyboard Trust, we are delighted to present a local prodigy, Alessio Tonelli from Grosseto.  Alessio is currently pursuing his masters at the Perugia Conservatory and has won top prizes at several major piano competitions. 

His performance at a prestigious concert in Viterbo in January was described as ‘Masterly playing of intelligence and beauty’

Sebastian-Benedict Flore Rising Star Series City Productions in Association with the Keyboard Trust

I have heard Nicolas play over a number of years in the annual masterclasses of Alberto Portugheis at Steinway Hall in London.Also for the Thomas Harris International Foundation competition founded by the much missed Judy Harris in memory of her son. Re reading my impressions then and now it was always the absolute clarity of Nicolas’s playing that was so remarkable. He has now matured over the past six years playing with ever more intelligence and technical maturity without loosing the clarity and beauty of his playing . Two major works on the programme showing immediately the credentials of a musician of ‘class’ to quote Dr Mather today. To sustain two such important works one after the other is a challenge to any musician, because the concentration and contemplation go hand in hand with memory and technical preparation. There was hardly a note out of place today because Nicolas is a musician who listens to himself and is so absorbed in the music that there are never any moments of distraction or unnecessary bravado.

The Chopin Sonata is a masterpiece of construction of great originality, so much so that Schumann even described it as ‘four of Chopin’s maddest children all under the same roof’ , and went on the describe the last movement that ‘seems more like a mockery than any sort of music’. When Mendelssohn was asked for an opinion , he commented, “Oh, I abhor it”. Nicolas played it today very simply with great clarity, keeping the same tempo throughout the first movement that gave it an architectural strength , as the bass introduction is used in the development with masterly effect. There is always a question of whether one should repeat the exposition of the sonata , and if so where to? Nicolas decided ,as many great musician do, to ignore the repeat in favour of going straight into the development. Playing of dynamic drive and extraordinary clarity due to his very careful use of the sustaining pedal. Playing with a kaleidoscope of sounds but if he allowed his hands to delve even deeper into the keys with limpet like adhesion it would add even more warmth and sumptuous richness. Finding an even truer finger legato, like an organist, always with the same very careful use of the pedal. But this was very musicianly playing and the second subject was played with disarming beauty of great sentiment but never sentimentality. The ‘Scherzo’ was played unusually gracefully as it had a real sense of dance rather than the solidity of a study in lesser hands. The Trio was played with rare beauty and Nicolas’s ability to allow the left hand counterpoints to sing with clarity added another dimension of contrast to this beautiful bel canto. The whispered coda with just two whispered chords in the left hand over a long held chord allowed us to appreciate the relentless beauty of the ‘Funeral March’ that was on the horizon. As Nicolas explained in his introduction, the ‘Funeral March’ was composer first, and the rest of the Sonata was constructed with many of the same bricks as this remarkable movement. Even here Schumann could not appreciate the originality of Chopin’s genius, remarking that the Marche funèbre ‘has something repulsive about it’ , and that ‘an adagio in its place, perhaps in D-flat, would have had a far more beautiful effect’. Nicolas played it with fervent conviction where delving deeper into the keys would have added even more weight to his beautiful playing. The Trio, actually in D flat, was played with just the beauty that Schumann had missed. Nicolas played it with remarkable control and aristocratic good taste with a refined beauty that made the return of the march even more harrowing. Nicolas brought absolute clarity to the whirlwind of notes of the ‘Finale’ where maybe a little more pedal would have given an undulating shape to this extraordinary ‘wind passing over the graves’. A performance by a mature musician untainted by the so called ‘tradition’ as he showed us Chopin’s often criticised mastery of architectural construction that lives hand in hand with the poetic beauty of a genius.

The Sonata in C minor is the first of Schubert’s final trilogy written in the last year of his short life. It is the most Beethovenian and choosing the key of C minor is also a declaration of dramatic intent and intensity. It has long been the Sonata favoured by great Russian virtuosi and it was Richter who was to astonish us with his performances in the 70’s of a Schubert of so many conflicting emotions. I remember the last movement, who could ever forget, Richter creating a whirlwind of breathtaking dynamism after an ‘Adagio’ of poignant penetration and an opening ‘Allegro’ like Beethoven’s 5th. Nicolas’s was not a performance of extremes, but a musicianly account of what he described as his favourite work. It was played with scrupulous attention to the composers indications and with dynamic drive and poignant poetic beauty. Again choosing not to repeat the exposition he entered the development where Schubert mixes a mystery of dark beauty of disturbing character. The chilling beauty of the left hand murmuring with whispered menace only to be replied by a bel canto of radiant beauty. Chromatic scales starting as a whisper and building into a massive crescendo, beautifully judged by Nicolas as the opening declaration was heard again with even more energy. He brought a poignant beauty to the ‘Adagio’ with a beautifully chiselled melodic line as it built in intensity of orchestral colouring only to reveal a coda of whispered significance.The Minuetto that follows was played with simplicity and buoyancy with a playful character that was the bridge between two movements of such conflicting emotions . The ‘Allegro’ was brilliantly played with a relentless drive until the cloud passes and one of those miraculous melodies of Schubert is suddenly revealed in a blaze of light and which Nicolas played with radiance and loving beauty. Of course there is no stopping this cauldron that is always in the background waiting to erupt and which Nicolas played with dynamic drive a brilliance. Another masterly account from a musician of ‘class’.

Belgo-British pianist Nicolas Absalom is a prize winner of international piano competitions and has been invited to festivals including the “Klevischer Klaviersommer” (DE) festival, the “NiederRheinLande Festival”, the “International Young Talents Festival” in Cannes, the „Fremtidens Lyd“ Stvens in Denmark as well as the “Passion:SPIEL” festival for contemporary music organised by the German National Theatre „DNT“.   

Nicolas regularly performs recitals in Europe and has appeared in venues such as the „Berliner Philharmonie“, the „Museu Pau Casals“ in El Vendrell, the „Palau de la Música Catalana“, as well as the “Studio 4” Flagey in Brussels.  He has collaborated with orchestras such as the „Sinfonieorchester of the University of Music“ in Dresden, the “Siegfried Camerata”, the „Music of the Spheres Ensemble” and the „Jenaer Philharmonie“.  Currently Nicolas is pursuing his Master‘s degree in piano solo performance at the Berlin University of the Arts in the class of Prof. Björn Lehmann. Most recently he was offered a place on the Artist Diploma in performance course at the Royal College of Music for 26/27 year.  He has also had the privilege of working with pianists such as Janina Fialkowska, Kevin Kenner, Klaus Hellwig, Alberto Portugheis and Hortense Cartier-Bresson to name a few.

Nicolas is also an avid chamber musician which has led him to work with musicians such as members of the Jerusalem, Artemis and Fauré Quartets. Another focal point in his education is historically informed performance where he specialises in Fortepiano (Hammerflügel).   

If Music be the food of love ..play on -The historic Alberto Portugheis Masterclasses 2023 and updated to 2024

The Thomas Harris International Piano Foundation Part 1&2

Viva Alberto Portugheis and the Thomas Harris International Piano Foundation

Ignas Maknickas returns to London after five years at the Royal Academy where his talent was allowed to grow and blossom . There is something very special about the Lithuanian school of playing with its great fluidity and natural beauty that was exemplified by Ignas today .

Playing of ravishing beauty on a wave of sounds that he produced with loving natural caressing movements as he relished the glistening beauty that he was producing .

Ignas is a poet of the piano and above all a dreamer. He is living his dream having returned to his homeland to set up home and start a life with his beautiful princess . No struggles with the difficulties of competing for a place in the piano world . The world he already holds in his hands with his love for his homeland but above all for music.

His charm and romantic good looks immediately revealed an innocent disarming simplicity as he presented the programme to the audience assembled by YCAT. It is a window to show off talented young musicians to an audience shopping for great talent to play in music clubs all over the UK .

I had heard Ignas at the Royal Academy some years ago in one of their first piano festivals organised by the indomitable Joanna McGregor. Ignas was paired with another fresher Alim Beisembayev in a performance of Mozart Double Concerto of youthful freshness and mastery . Both have proven their talent and have gone on to great things. Alim winner of the Leeds , establishing himself on the world stage, and Ignas living his dream which will grow and enrich his life and that of others as his career advances.

The title of the programme today could well be called ‘Dreaming’ as it was a recital of whispered glowing beauty. Not high propulsion and strength but poetic beauty and radiance. I was with Prof Jablonski yesterday and he was giving a masterclass where he half jokingly said that according to his Apple Watch one of the students had reach a decibel pitch of 94. Mr Apple advised that half an hour of that would damage your health ! https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2026/03/23/krzysztof-jablonski-at-the-chopin-society-uk-a-great-pianist-restores-chopins-lollipops-with-mastery-and-humility-jewels-in-the-crown-of-a-supreme-stylist/

There was no worry about that with Ignas today as he rarely played loudly, because he drew us in to share his dream with us. Of course Ignas is a fine musician with a kaleidoscopic palette of sounds, but it is the contrasts and sense of balance of the sounds not necessarily the volume that counts. There is the Matthay room at the Royal Academy and the busts of two of Uncle Tobs (Tobias Matthay) most famous Dames en situ on the staircase. Myra and Moura must look on in dismay at some of the volume of sounds that escape from the practice rooms to the staircase . Matthay taught his students that in every key there is an infinite variety of sounds. The way of producing them got all mixed up in theory but the simple truth is that those that listen to themselves and search for the sounds will find a way to produce them. Look at Casals and Segovia on their instruments who both had to find a way to drive in an alien landscape . Richter when he first was allowed to visit the west was more astonishing for his control of sound especially between piano and mezzo forte than his dynamic and even demonic temperament

Ignas showed us today that music can still be shared and an intimacy can be created uniting an audience of strangers into a communion of sounds that unite rather than annihilate the listener !

Many of these works that he played today I have heard him play before, but with playing of such poetic creativity each work is like hearing it for the first time. ‘Kindersenen’ was full of magic sounds from ‘the people of foreign lands’ to the ‘pleading child ‘ of disarming simplicity. What ‘joie de vivre’ on the ‘Hobbyhorse’ that he played with a charm that warmed the heart as did the ravishing beauty of the ‘child falling asleep’. A ‘poet speaking’ with such serious eloquence but then on a cloud of pedalled sounds reappearing with a heartrending coda. Four Preludes by a fellow Lithuanian Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis ( oh for the Wangs or Wongs!) which was a mellifluous outpouring of simple folk melodies of popular appeal, not deep and searching, but beautiful dreams in a sound world that was very much that of Ignas. Even the works of Chopin he had excluded the showpiece of op 34 n.1 , opting for the disarming beauty of n. 2 which he combined with Chopin’s Cat, who today was obviously on some sort of high! The two Nocturnes op 27 are two of Chopin’s most radiant and beautiful creations . The first in C sharp minor is a miniature tone poem where clouds accumulate and a storm is brewing but like a ‘Ship on the ocean’ it is short lived and the thankfulness for it being over was one of those moments of magic that Ignas played with knowing beauty. The whispered beauty of the D flat nocturne showed Ignas’s mastery of balance where the melodic line was not played with chiselled beauty but was revealed with its soul intact as the magical changing harmonies beneath were like whispers following the melody in the dark.

Chopin’s Barcarolle I have not heard Ignas play before but it is Chopin’s greatest masterpiece written towards the end of a life that had never seen Venice, but perhaps could envisage it with even more magic with his genial soul. It is one long song which of course Ignas chose to finish his dream programme with today. There was magic in the air and Ignas even risked a passionate involvement that he had saved for this very special performance when his youthful fire and passion were just waiting to be ignited.

One encore from an audience in a trance from such visions of beauty. I imagine it was another of those beautiful simple preludes by Joe Smith or such like!!!.

Ignas Maknickas in Perivale An artist with a unique sound and heart of pure gold

Krzysztof Jabłoński at the Chopin Society with a programme of Chopin lollipops which unexpectedly turned into the visiting card of a great pianist. These, like Sir Thomas Beecham’s Lollipops were jewels in the crown of a supreme stylist.

Playing of great weight with simplicity and humility giving new life to these well known works. From the very first notes it was obvious that we were in the presence of a master. A limpet like touch, reminiscent of Gilels , where the fingers could delve deep into the keys and extract sounds that were always beautiful and fully rounded. A palette of sounds that could make the music speak without affectation or any self awareness.

The Nocturne in C sharp minor op. post, he may have pedalled over the rests at the beginning but he played with such beauty giving an architectural shape and subtle meaning to even these opening chords. A belcanto of glowing warmth and beauty was played with a masterly sense of balance where the melodic line was never overpowered by the bass accompaniment but was allowed to float on a shimmering wave of richly harmonic sounds.

The Fantasie -Impromptu op 66 was played with a sense of style that permitted a knowing freedom.That which Chopin himself described as the roots firmly planted in the ground but the branches above allowed to sway in the wind. A whirlwind of golden sounds,where streams of undulating notes were allowed to breathe, bathed in sumptuously rich sounds. Dissolving into the beauty of the central episode which was played with the freedom of a singer, where ornaments opened with timeless beauty and poignant significance.

In fact all through the recital nothing was just thrown off, but all was shaped under an umbrella of sound, where Jablonski could be free to shape the music with aristocratic simplicity, where every note had a meaning in a musical conversation of searing significance.

The ‘Raindrop’ prelude op 28 n.15 was played with a glowing belcanto, with an emotional strength that was never sentimental but had a sense of line and direction. Leading into the lament of nostalgic yearning of the central section which built to an emotional peak of burning intensity. The disarming simplicity of the return of the opening was played with even more radiance and whispered beauty.

The B flat minor Scherzo showed Jablonski’s masterly musicianship, where the first note usually played as a launching pad was here quite simply the anchor of the chords that followed in the treble. All through this performance so many bad habits handed down from the Chopin tradition were ignored in favour of a musician who could look deeply into what Chopin had actually indicated in the score. Of course there was radiance and beauty but also strength and aristocratic nobility. A central episode of whispered chords as the music gradually took wing with the mastery of exhilaration and excitement. A coda that had something of orchestral colour, where waves of sound, not just notes, built up to the final explosion of emotional power and excitement.

The C minor Nocturne op 48 n. 1 was played with timeless wonder, where the melodic line glowed over the giant steps that were accompanying it. Chords that seemed to appear from within as they built in intensity and volume without ever having a hard edge.The octaves inbetween the chords were like vibrations taking us on a journey step by step until reaching the peak of the mountain and the explosion of joyous exhilaration. The same sound allowed to die away where the melody emerged riding on waves of passionate urgency in this the longest of the nocturnes. Chopin had created a tone poem of a whole landscape opening and closing in a whisper, encompassing a whole world of emotions depicted with poetic genius.

The ‘Revolutionary’ study op 10 n. 12, was played almost without accents as notes just poured from Jablonski’s fingers without ever hitting the keys. Leaning deep into the notes and extracting rich beautiful sounds of burning intensity.The left hand waves of notes were an undulating mass of sounds like water boiling in a cauldron at a hundred degrees . An extraordinary mastery where each finger became a chain of horizontal sounds that were shaped with ever more intensity. Chopin marking forte and then echoed piano was played in context ,as a real musician, with his eye on the overall shape.It was always under this cloud of sound that was a protective shield against any prickly thorns that might have escaped. An extraordinary amalgam of sounds where the music was allowed to evolve without any pyrotechnics of vertical aversity.

‘Revolutionary’ indeed , as these well known master works were recreated as new. Simplicity and aristocratic good taste were allied to a natural technical mastery of fingers of steel but wrists and arms of rubber, allowing Jablonski to swim with wings of song.

Nowhere more was this evident than in the Polonaise ‘Héroique’ op 53, a work that Arthur Rubinstein made very much his own. Jablonski brought a similar aristocratic nobility and strength, and of course I am in no way comparing it to Rubinstein which in many ways was a broader, more monumental performance that will never be forgotten. But Jablonski brought a freshness without any rhetoric to a work of burning significance for the Polish Nation. Even the gentle unwinding after the cavalry march was played with an inner strength and sense of direction that lead so naturally into the final exhortation and poignant ending of this very ‘heroic’ Polonaise. The coda was of a final brilliance and breathtaking audacity where even the rests before the final chords had the same burning intensity as their surrounds .They were the final declaration of intent as only the of greatest of musicians are inspired, not by mere virtuosity, but by poetic sensibility.

After the interval another selection of newly minted masterpieces were seen through the eye of this eclectic master musician.

The Prelude in E minor op 28 n. 4 is a harrowing and deeply felt tale . Jablonski’s control of the left hand chords revealed his masterly control of sound as he could underline various notes within them with the precision and artistry of a string quartet. The melodic line soared with passionate intensity until a burning silence and the three final chords played with jewel like character.

This was playing that reminded me ever more of Guiomar Novaes, who I never had the chance to hear in public, but have never forgotten the impact her playing made on me with the recordings that I found as a boy for just fifty pence. The simple beauty of Lipatti or Gelber, maintaining a simplicity and rich beauty of sound but leaving room for a personality of extraordinary intelligence and poetic sensibility.

The study op 10 n. 3 ‘How deep is your heart’ revealed the heart of a great artist who did not need to wallow or exaggerate with sickly sentimentality. It was played in two as Chopin wrote and a tempo that could accommodate the central episode without having to divide the study into separate parts . It was one glorious outpouring of the poignant sentiment that was within the very notes and not just applied to the surface. These were real sentiments of heartrending nostalgia and warmth for a homeland that Chopin was to abandon at eighteen and never to see again until after his untimely death at only 39. Jablonski played the central episode with limpet like virtuosity building almost unnoticed to the climax before the deep bass turn on a shimmering cooling wave of sounds heralded the return of ‘how sweet is your heart’ played with even more whispered poignant beauty.

The Waltz in C sharp minor op 64 n. 2 was played with simplicity as Jablonski’s jeux perlé was of such subtle flexibility that there was no need to bring out inner harmonies or find interesting variants within, as the simple elegance and radiant beauty of Chopin’s own voice was all that was necessary.

Two late nocturnes op 72 n.1 and op 62 n. 2 were played with a poetic beauty of inner strength and masterly shape.

Op 72 in particular showed a sense of balance that could allow the melodic line to grow in strength always supported by undulating sounds. Jablonski was not afraid to give a nobility and strength of passionate intensity to the belcanto because it contrasted with the whispered coda of pure magic. His Sokolovian stature allowing his right hand to play the last note deep in the bass, not wanting to disturb the constant wave of sounds created with his left hand.

The ‘Nocturne’ in E major op 62 n. 2 is one of Chopin’s last and most poetic creations. Like the ‘Barcarolle’ it is an outpouring of song from beginning to end. Distilled sounds of timeless beauty etched in chiselled marble with wondrous counterpoints that are strands of gold and silver under a melodic line of seamless beauty. A coda of breathtaking poignancy was a moment to cherish in a recital of extraordinary originality for its utter simplicity.

These are all works that have been covered in grime and dust for too long. Like the frescos of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel that so shocked the world when this masterpiece was restored to its original glory.

The Waltz op 34 n. 2 unlike it partner n. 1 is a gasping whispered lament where the bass melody is a soul in anguish relieved only by the glowing beauty of refined elegance of the contrasting belcanto voice.

Jablonski brought astonishing rich sounds of pyrotechnics to the ‘octave’ study op 25 where these were just undulating sounds of quite astonishing controlled intensity. The beautiful long central episode was played with a legato and sense of line where the study was not divided into two but was one glorious whole under the roof of sound created by a master musician who also happens to be a master technician. A technical mastery at the service of the composer and not a meaningless demonstration of personal prowess or showmanship.

The first Ballade is probably the most frequently distorted masterpiece in the repertoire. Chopin has written in the score ( like Liszt at the opening of this B minor Sonata) all that is required and if the rests, rhythm and dynamics are respected it can reproduce the masterpiece that Chopin actually wrote! Jablonski produced an outpouring of whispered beauty contrasting with passionate intensity where one world grew out of the other giving an overall shape to this unique form that Chopin had created. A tone poem of great originality, contrasting brilliance with beauty in a continuous outpouring of genial invention.

Jablonski’s creamy rich sounds and refined elegance created a spell of absolute magic in the ‘Andante spianato.’ His seamless legato and timeless unfolding of the flowering ornaments were of quite ravishing beauty and contrasted with the rude awakening of the Grande Polonaise op 22. Nobility and grandeur were very much in evidence even if slightly over pedalled to allow the crystalline clarity that a teenage Chopin would have astonished his audiences with. However an exciting and exhilarating ending to a recital where the refined Sunday afternoon audience hosted by Lady Rose Cholmondely (whose birthday would be celebrated over tea and cake) and Gillian Newman, knew instinctively when to interrupt the performances with applause.

Only bursting with spontaneous applause after the B flat minor Scherzo or the G minor Ballade but otherwise they were accomplices to an outpouring of poetic playing of masterly communication.

What to play as an encore after a programme of encores? Jablonski had just the answer with a ‘canon covered in flowers’. Chopin’s Mazurkas are 59 miniature masterpieces that were to depict Chopin’s short life and the yearning of an exile for his homeland.

‘Alex Trigg (Advanced Postgraduate Diploma course) performs on Wednesday 18th March at 1315 at The Temple Church, London.

The concert was awarded by our friends at The Keyboard Charitable Trust, and we are very grateful for their continued support of our organ students.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’

Alexander Trigg – Quiet assurance at Temple Church

by Angela Ransley

The three composers in today’s recital, Elgar, Howells and Franck span almost two centuries: when Cesar Franck was born in 1822, Beethoven was still alive. Howells died in 1983, the world of the internet, space travel and minimalism. Both English composers came from the territory of the Three Choirs Festival in the west of England, and despite humble circumstances received support from its rich heritage, allowing both to achieve distinction. Elgar was knighted and appointed Master of the King’s Music in 1924; Howells became Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music and was made a Companion of Honour.

Cesar Franck came from Belgium but was based in Paris after his ambitious father changed his nationality so that his two prodigies – Cesar and his brother Joseph –  could enter the Paris Conservatoire.  Pere Franck destined Cesar as a pianist and drove him inexorably until a rift between them opened up the possibility of the organ. A major influence was the new symphonic instrument of Aristide Cavaille-Coll, which Cesar demonstrated throughout France. His long tenure at Eglise St Clothilde and Professorship of Organ at the Paris Conservatoire secured his lasting reputation.

Read the full review https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H9HAC2vUsp7WuO_J3TFvNkIhLKIiMCD-/view?usp=drivesdk

QUIET ASSURANCE AT TEMPLE CHURCH a review by Angela Ransley

The Keyboard Trust was founded in 1991 and has expanded from a family-
run organisation to concerts in 11 countries. It is indebted to Temple church

for its generous offer of an annual recital since 2004 with today’s established
artists such as Callum Alger and William Fox having received their support.
I asked Alex what this means to an artist embracing the music profession of
today:
I am enormously grateful for the support of The Keyboard
Trust, who were not only kind and generous hosts, but also
an enthusiastic and supportive audience. This was my first
collaboration with the Trust; I was delighted for the
opportunity to work with an organisation which does such
valuable work supporting young musicians like myself.
Alex’s full comments are in the link below.

From the left: ANGELA RANSLEY, ALEX TRIGG and Keyboard Trust CEO SARAH BIGGS

ANGELA RANSLEY is a pianist and writer on musical subjects and
Director of the Harmony School of Pianoforte. She holds an organ post in Surrey

Alex’s full comments :

HOW YOU FOUND THE ORGAN AND THE VENUE

It was a treat and a privilege for me to play such a fine instrument in a space with as rich a musical history as Temple Church. The organ was perfectly suited to the English repertoire in my programme, with so much colour to be found in the solo and swell divisions especially.

HOW THE KEYBOARD TRUST SUPPORT HELPS YOU

I am enormously grateful for the support of The Keyboard Trust, who were not only kind and generous hosts, but also an enthusiastic and supportive audience. This was my first collaboration with the Trust; I was delighted for the opportunity to work with an organisation which does such valuable work supporting young musicians like myself.

WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE CHALLENGES OF A YOUNG ARTIST IN 2026

I would say social media and the internet present some of the greatest challenges to young people today, not just for artists but for everybody. With thousands of influencers, performers and other personalities presenting their ‘best selves’ to the world online, it’s all too easy to compare ourselves to these polished acts, which often lack the human element of imperfection. As musicians it’s vital that we strive for self-improvement, but our expectations of ourselves need to be healthy and realistic. The work of The Keyboard Trust is so valuable as it offers young musicians the opportunity to gain performing experience in ‘real-world’ settings with supportive audiences.