A full house for a Wigmore favourite Prof.Peter Hill

An elderly gentleman appeared on stage to introduce us to the Goldberg.Variations.

Playing from, but hardly glancing at, the score it was refreshingly obvious from the very first note his love and respect for Bach`s monumental score shone through like a blazing light that held the discerning Wigmore audience under his spell.

Some of the more virtuosistic variations were a bit woolley but it was of no importance as this elderly gentleman showed us how the score could come to vivid life without all the barnstorming that we are often treated to.

If a gentle snore from behind me accompanied this gentle performance the humble acceptance of the ovation he was awarded was indeed a tribute to the devotion that Peter Hill has dedicated his life to.

Played without the repeats except strangely the Quodlibet which caught the Wigmore staff unawares with our coffee morning delights still in preparation.

They are more used to the great performances of Angela Hewitt or Rosalyn Tureck who would never dream of abbreviating the variations but when true love and professorial respect for time takes over an hour is always an hour.

If one or two of the public dozed off it is after all rumoured that Bach wrote his variations for the insomniac count who repaid him with a purse of golden florins.