Tuesday 21 February 3.00 pm
Masterly performances of a fervent believer.
B minor obviously has a great significance for a true believer.
The most profound work of all time is surely the Bach Mass in B minor a true declamation of faith.
And so it was today that Patrick Hemmerlé chose a programme where every work was in B minor even the final encore with the Prelude in B minor by Bach/Siloti.
The Bach Prelude and Fugue in B minor Book 1 with it’s prophetic twelve tone yearning fugue subject after the religious procession of the prelude.The deep insistent yearning also of the appoggiaturas in Cesar Franck with its final declaration of glory and exultation.
The Liszt Sonata restored to its greatness by a true musician where the opening themes on the first page were leading to the fervent explosion on the second.Such aristocratic grandeur of timeless wonder in the passionate climaxes with the remarkable left hand marcato that led us into the Andante sostenuto and so to the heart of the sonata that is the Adagio.
It was all played with such inevitable logic, links in a chain and of course it is this that links too the Franck with the Liszt.
Not only the transformation of themes within a formula but the passion not of ‘gigoloistic’ virtuosity but of deep profound sentiment.
Remarkable performances that I knew from Patrick would never be less than musicianly but today there was an overwhelming authority and conviction that should be an example to all those that dare open the first page of this pinnacle of the romantic piano repertoire.
The fugue, which is the longest one in the whole Well – Tempered Clavier is remarkably austere in construction. The theme, on the other hand, uses all the tones of the octave with the music is moving, but not without effort, as there are only a few interludes to break the chromaticism that is hard to understand. Bach biographer Spitta wrote that this stirring music “made the expression of pain almost unbearable”. And indeed, even though Bach did not really have a choice, the key of B minor did stand for melancholy in the Baroque.
As Patrick said in his introduction all the works on his programme are in B minor as they follow the path from suffering to redemption.
And it was this first work that was a holy procession played with absolute clarity and subtle pointing of the counterpoints with the deep bass notes that appear on the horizon leading us to the final magical major chord.
The four voice fugue was strangely detached and I felt it surely should be more legato with its yearning leaning appoggiaturas?It is the longest fugue of the ‘forty eight’ however,and it was played with serene authority of architectural shape with the deep bass entry of the subject of great poignancy.A stately procession played with respect and religious fervour.
Patrick’s performance was created from the bass upwards which gave a very solid anchor to Franck’s etherial opening.There was beauty in the tenor doubling of the melodic line which gave great depth to the overall structure and created a velvet beauty of sumptuous sound.
The ‘religious’ silences were golden indeed and were just as expressive as the actual notes that surrounded them.There was a brooding build up of ever fuller sounds and a leaning on the appoggiaturas that gave poetic meaning to the yearning for religious faith.There were the deep meditative sounds of the chorale always from the bass upwards and even the stately interludes between the arpeggiated chorale were played with a deep significance where they are so often thrown off lightly,instead here was an organ like fervently rich melodic line.The absolute clarity of the fugue where the appogiaturas again took on a religious significance of yearning and there was magic in the air as the opening theme returned on a sumptuous carpet of etherial sounds.The gradual build up of sonority showed masterly control arriving at the glory and passion of a true believer.
The triumphant ending was a glorious outpouring or release of tension as the music reached for the visionary heights.
The opening page of this Sonata is a true test of musicianship over showmanship but it is the rock on which Liszt builds this masterpiece that was to have such an impact on his father in law.Patrick had complete control where every note had a significance even in the most virtuosistic passages.His sense of weight and legato allied to an impeccable sense of balance made the overall musical line so clear.Even at the height of the most passionate outpourings as in the final great climax there was a sense of line,architectural shape and aristocratic grandeur that was remarkable and brought to mind the monumental performances of Claudio Arrau.
Acclaimed for the originality of his concert programmes and the depth of his interpretations, Patrick Hemmerlé is a French pianist living in England. He can often be heard performing such works as the 24 Chopin Etudes, the 48 Bach Prelude and Fugues, or lesser-known composers. Recent engagements have taken him to New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, and Prague, as well as many festivals and music society in England. Patrick has published 3 CDs, which have been well received by the international press. His latest recording project, to be issued in 2020 is a pairing of Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier and Fischer’s Ariadne Musica. He is in demand as a lecturer. He has given talks for the Cambridge University, as well as a cycle of concert-lectures on French music, presenting composers little known to the general public,. This led to the recordings of the piano music of Jean Roger-Ducasse and Maurice Emmanuel. Patrick is laureate of the international competition of Valencia, Toledo, Epinal, Grossetto, and more recently the CFRPM, in Paris, where his interpretation of Villa-Lobos’s Rudepoema, raised a great deal of interest. He was trained in Paris at the Conservatoire (CNR), under the tuition of Billy Eidi.
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 