St Mary’s Perivale Tuesday 11 October 3.00 pm
Some wonderfully descriptive playing by a musician who can make the piano speak louder than words.Hovering over the keyboard like a cat about to pounce he brought these descriptive pieces vividly to life.A superb technical control and a kaleidoscopic sense of colour allied to a sumptuous sense of balance brought a radiance and immediacy to all that he did.
From the crystalline elegance of Rameau to the soaring romanticism of Schumann and the utmost delicacy of Debussy.
But it was the muffled sounds of the Turkish pipes that Fazil Say depicts in his Black Earth that brought back the terrible story of a pianist sentenced to death by a regime where he is now considered a hero.
Some remarkably vivid story telling from a true artist
Dr Mather may have been concerned for his piano that like mine after visits from Stockhausen and Adulescu I was forced to write in the contract that the piano could only be played with two hands and two feet in the traditional manner!
He need not have worried because it is obvious that Antoine truly loves the piano where others may hate it .
Franco-Belgian pianist Antoine Préat was born in August 1997 in Paris. Described by the French radio as “one of the most gifted pianists of the youngest generation”, and as “a young artist with a distinctive voice”, Antoine is in demand both as a chamber musician and a soloist.Antoine made his orchestral debut at 17, playing Rachmaninov’s second concerto under the baton of Mihnea Ignat, and has since performed with orchestras such as Orchestra of Alicante, the Tonerl Chamber Orchestra, the Sainsbury Soloists, the Academy Festival Orchestra, the London Student Orchestra, the Resonate Chamber Ensemble. Antoine is regularly invited to perform in France as well as in Europe and the United States in halls such as the Salle Cortot, Salle Gaveau, Wigmore Hall, Thayer Hall, Paris Beaux Arts Museum, Frederyk Chopin Institute.
His performances have been broadcast on the BBC and France Musique. Performance highlights include festivals such as the Nohant Chopin Festival, Lisztomanias, Chopin à Bagatelle, les Concerts d’Esther, Marathon Chopin (for his bicentenary), les Nuits du piano in Paris, and Jeunes talents. Antoine is an avid chamber musician, and dedicates himself to his piano duo, Duo Martelli, currently studying under Amandine Savary’s tutelage at the Royal Academy of Music. He was the youngest artist to be invited to join the Centre de Musique de Chambre de Paris, (directed by Jerome Pernoo) with whom he gave a series of concert at the Salle Cortot in Paris, sponsored by Deutsche Gramophone.He has been a finalist/prizewinner in numerous national and international competitions such as the Ettlingen competition for young pianists, the Concours International de la Ville de Gagny, the Concours international d’Ile de France, received an honor prize at the New York Début Piano Competition, and more.
Antoine began his studies at the Junior Paris Conservatoire (CRR de Paris). One year later, he made his public debut at the Salle Gaveau. In 2011, he was invited to continue his studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique A. Cortot, from which he graduated with a distinction at the age of 17. He then continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, under the tutelage of Tatiana Sarkissova, where he received the Colin Murray Award (2016) and Vivian Langrish Award (2018) for highest mark in an examination as well as the Bache Fund Award for special achievement (2019). Antoine is currently enrolled as Master of Arts student at the Academy under Christopher Elton’s tutelage. He is very fortunate to be supported by Talent Unlimited as well as the Munster Derek Butler Award and the Winifred Christie Trust Award.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hwl-UiiPLjw&feature=share
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 