Another memorable occasion for the second in the series of six recitals presenting aspiring young pianists by the Keyboard Trust together with the Robert Turnbull Foundation at the National liberal Club for the Asia Circle directed by Yisha Xue
A beautiful Club where legend has it that Rachmaninov and Moiseiwitch gave recitals in its glorious past history.

As Janet Berridge of the Liberal Club proudly told us that with the acquisition of a magnificent Steinway Concert Grand great music is again being heard in these hallowed surrounds.
What better than to give a platform to the stars of tomorrow on their long journey to Parnassum!
What better indeed than in the company of Beethoven,Bach and Chopin when played by a young pianist like Adam Heron who is such a superb communicator and musician

An evening where pure music was allowed to pour from his fingers with a simplicity and beauty without any pianistic gymnastics or anything other than communicating the very essence and soul of great music as bequeathed to us by these universal giants.
An early Beethoven Sonata where Adam was content to allow the music to unfold following in the tradition of Haydn and Mozart.This was before the trials and tribulations of a turbulent life which would take Beethoven into new uncharted territory with an eventual vision of the peace and paradise that was awaiting him at the age of only 57.
A Bach Italian Concerto played with vibrant urgency and clarity with the sublime simplicity of the Andante in which Adam etched the melodic line with disarming aristocratic simplicity.

Chopin’s Funeral March Sonata where indeed the third movement was played with such inevitability by Adam that made it so apparent that the ravishing beauty of the Trio was obviously Chopin’s own vision of Paradise that he was to reach even before his 40th birthday.Chopin’s graphic depiction of the wind blowing over the graves with the extraordinarily original last movement was given by Adam a remarkable sense of line and musical shape of a movement that not even Schumann could make head or tail of .Schumann had described the sonata as “four of his maddest children under the same roof” He also remarked that the Marche funèbre “has something repulsive” about it, and that the last movement “seems more like a mockery than any sort of music”.
Adam’s simple musicianship brought this masterpiece vividly to life and had infact been the hallmark of this hour long recital of three great masterpieces that Adam shared so generously with us.

A beautiful appreciation of a very special talent by Prof. Christopher Elton,Adam’s distinguished former teacher at the Royal Academy,was crowned with a short encore by a visibly moved Adam .

James Kreiling shared his memories of Robert Turnbull and the Piano Foundation created in his memory which has given the Keyboard Trust the possibility to present young musicians on the first steps of a ladder.A journey without any ending as the true artist is he who seeks an unattainable Utopia.
It is this voyage of discovery that is the very essence of music as we were shown today by the simple unadorned musicianship that Adam shared with us.

Nikita Lukinov will be playing in the En Blanc et Noir Festival Lagrasse,France in a collaboration with the Keyboard Trust on the 10th July.A beautiful programme for a unique setting that can be seen in this video :https://youtu.be/iVLS7LKaQNs
Beethoven op.2 no 3 (25) — interval — Tchaikovsky, “Meditation” op.72 (5); Chopin, etude 10 op.25 (4) ; Scriabin, 2 Poems op.32 (5) ; Scriabin, Valse op.38 (5); Prokofiev, “Pas de Chale” and “Amoroso” from ‘6 pieces from Cinderella’ op.102 (9)
https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/06/05/nikita-lukinov-at-st-marys/

Programme notes by Adam Heron

Sir Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934)
In Smyrna (1905)
In addition to his famed choral and orchestral works, Sir Edward Elgar produced several compositions for the piano. Excluding the Concert Allegro (1901) and the unfinished Piano Concerto (1913), they are typically intimate works; devoid of the quintessentially Edwardian extroversion and grandeur for which he is renowned, and instead conceived for the living room rather than the concert platform. From the witty Sonatina (1889) to the more wistful Adieu (1932), each purveys a sense of delicacy as well as vulnerability, whilst remaining steadfastly faithful to his distinctive harmonic sound-world. One of the most enigmatic of these compositions is In Smyrna, which takes its inspiration from the Mediterranean cruise on which Elgar embarked during the Autumn of 1905 aboard the Royal Navy vessel HMS Surprise, with his friend Frank Schuster. Upon docking in the Ottoman settlement of Smyrna, which is now the city of İzmir in modern-day Turkey, Elgar took the opportunity to step ashore and visit one of the local mosques. Inspired by the beauty of Islamic architecture as well as the sound of the Adhan echoing throughout Smyrna, Elgar felt compelled to document a musical memoir of his experience. In his sketchbook, In Smyrna appears atop the subtitle In the Mosque. The miniature work opens with a distant right-hand tremolo, effectively depicting the cool waves gently stroking the hull of his ship.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Sonata in C-minor Op. 10 No. 1 (1798)

1. Allegro molto e con brio
2. Adagio molto
3. Prestissimo
   It is possible to assert that both Ludwig van Beethoven and the key of C-minor are symbiotically
   intertwined with one another; two co-dependent entities which, across many historiographies of Western Classical Music, have remained almost synonymous. Some of the most formidable Beethovenian compositions appear in this key, including the Coriolan Overture Op. 62 (1807), the Symphony No. 5 in C-minor Op. 67 (1808), and the Sonata in C-minor Op. 111 (1822), to name a just a few. The Sonata in C-minor Op. 10 No. 1 (1798) represents an early example of the volatile turbulence that characterises Beethovenian pianism. Not dissimilar from how Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856) depicts his dichotomous personalities of Eusebius and Florestan, Beethoven contrasts the virulent force of his Sturm und Drang style with a distinctively tender sublimity to which the German author E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776 – 1822) consistently refers. The erratic drama of the first movement appears so far removed from the serene spirituality that engulfs the second, whilst the Prestissimo finale exhibits a powerful sentiment of anxiety and incessant momentum.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Italian Concerto BWV 971 (1735)

1. Allegro 2. Andante 3. Presto
   The percussionist Ed Stephan once asserted that “Bach is the original Jazz boss”. When presented with such a bold work as the Italian Concerto (1735), it is easy to understand why. Boasting an abundance of thrilling virtuosity and unmistakable dance-like syncopations, the work is an unfailingly popular component of the pianistic canon. It is also interesting to note that the Italian Concerto exhibits one of the rare instances when Bach explicitly provides dynamics for a keyboard player, due to the work having been conceived for a double-manual harpsichord; the versatility of which enables the musician to achieve stark contrasts between forte and piano. As a result of this, it is generally accepted that Italian Concerto represents an example – some might assert a model – of orchestral writing as conceived for a solo keyboardist. Bach demonstrates a thorough mastery of the Italian concertante style; showcasing frequent alternations between the extrovert tutti sections and the more intimate ripieno passages, in addition to showcasing his characteristic aptitude for dance music; quite extraordinary for a composer who never had the opportunity to leave Germany, let alone visit New Orleans in the Jazz Age
2. 
   Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
   Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor Op. 35 (1839 Grave – Doppio movimento. Scherz. Marche funèbre: Lent. Finale: Presto
   Chopin composed the harrowing third movement from his Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor Op. 35 (1839) as a stand-alone work in 1837. It has since become an iconic masterpiece in itself, featuring a characteristically ominous depiction of both solemnity and mortality, interspersed with the hauntingly profound stasis of its middle section. It was another two years before Chopin composed the outer three movements, finally culminating in a gargantuan Sonata of significant musical and cultural importance. The cryptic opening chords of the Sonata seem to revive the spirit of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) in his aforementioned Sonata in C-minor Op. 111 (1822). It is perhaps for this reason that the Chopin Sonata No. 2 often appears somewhat atypical amongst his more popular works, deeply inspired by brooding Faustian metaphors, and forever indebted to the musical legacy of Beethoven. Yet despite being a work that remains largely rooted in the contrapuntal traditions of the Old German School – the theorist Heinrich Schenker (1868 – 1935) famously proclaimed Chopin to be an “honorary German” – the Sonata demonstrates a uniquely idiosyncratic medium of expression that is well beyond its time. From the stormy Scherzo that in its main sequences appears to depict a nefarious and hellish dance, to the near-atonal gusts of wind that echo throughout the fleeting Finale, Chopin clearly showcases an inimitable artistic voice.

Chopin completed the Piano Sonata n.2 in B flat minor op 35 while living in George Sand’s manor in Nohant some 250 km (160 mi) south of Paris ,a year before it was published in 1840. The first of the composer’s three mature sonatas (the others being the Piano Sonata n.3 in B minor op 58 and the Sonata for Piano and Cello op 65).In a letter on 8 August 1839, addressed to Fontana, Chopin wrote:I am writing here a Sonata in B flat minor which will contain my March which you already know. There is an Allegro, then a Scherzo in E flat minor, the March and a short Finale about three pages of my manuscript-paper. The left hand and the right hand gossip in unison after the March. … When the sonata was published in 1840 in the usual three cities of Paris,Leipzig and London,Paris ,the London and Paris editions indicated the repeat of the exposition as starting at the very beginning of the movement (at the Grave section). However, the Leipzig edition designed the repeat as beginning at the Doppio movimentosection. Although the critical edition published by Breitkopf &Hartel (that was edited, among others, by Franz Liszt, Carl Reinecke , and Johannes Brahms)indicate the repeat similarly to the London and Paris first editions, almost all 20th-century editions are similar to the Leipzig edition in this regard. Charles Rosen argues that the repeat of the exposition in the manner perpetrated by the Leipzig edition is a serious error, saying it is “musically impossible” as it interrupts the D♭ major cadence (which ends the exposition) with the B♭ minor accompanimental figure.However, Leikin advocates for excluding the Grave from the repeat of the exposition, citing in part that Karol Mikuli’s 1880 complete edition of Chopin contained a repeat sign after the Grave in the first movement of the Piano Sonata No. 2. Mikuli was a student of Chopin from 1844 to 1848 and also observed lessons Chopin gave to other students – including those where this sonata was taught – and took extensive notes.Adam plays the repeat without the Grave introduction

Adam Heron was born in Hong Kong of Nigerian-Filipino descent and subsequently adopted by his Irish mother.Acclaimed by The Sunday Times for the verve and spirit of his performances, Adam Heron is swiftly earning a reputation as one of the most innovative pianists of his generation.Adam rose to prominence following his television debut in 2018 as a ‘BBC Young Musician’ piano finalist and went on to win the 2020 Harriet Cohen Bach Prize. He has given solo recitals at leading international venues including the Center for Arts in Cairo and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. Performances in the UK have included such venues as Hampton Court Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Southbank Centre, St George’s Bristol, St Martin-in-the-Fields, The Holburne Museum and Wigmore Hall.He has attended masterclasses with renowned pianists including Anne Queffélec, Imogen Cooper, John Lill, Paul Lewis, Stephen Hough and Yevgeny Sudbin.Festival appearances include The Aegean Arts International Festival (Greece), The Cayman Arts Festival (Cayman Islands), The Cheltenham Music Festival (UK) and The GAP Arts Festival (Ireland).Adam appears regularly in the media including on BBC Radio 3 and specialist broadcast platforms such as Colourful Radio. He has worked with leading presenters including Katie Derham and Sean Rafferty.In addition to his solo work, Adam is also a collaborative pianist, composer and conductor. He has performed with eminent musicians such as saxophonist Amy Dickson, double-bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, violinists Christopher Quaid and Daniel Pioro, sopranos Francesca Chiejina and Yaritza Véliz, as well as cellists Laura van der Heijden and Jamie Walton. In 2016, the Chineke! Orchestra invited him to become one of its first concerto soloists, and he has since worked with leading conductors including David Curtis, Jonathon Heyward, Pete Harrison and Timothy Carey.Adam is a laureate of the Stefano Marizza International Piano Competition in Italy and the International Piano Competition HRH Princess Lalla Meryem in Morocco, where he additionally received the Prix Spécial from the Embassy of France in Rabat for his command of French music.As a recipient of the Hargreaves and Ball scholarship, Adam studied with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, before pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music at the University of Cambridge.Supported by the Keyboard Charitable Trust, Irish Heritage, The Hattori Foundation, the Macfarlane Walker Trust, Talent Unlimited Foundation and The Tillett Trust, Adam currently studies with Penelope Roskell in London.

Adam Heron at Steinway Hall for the Keyboard Trust

Adam Heron delights in Dulwich with Schumann Piano Concerto review by Angela Ransley

HHH Concerts and The Keyboard Trust a winning combination of youthful dedication to Art

Next concert in the En Blanc et Noir series at the National Liberal Club Monday 4th September 6.30 pm MILDA DAUNORAITE. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2022/10/19/milda-daunoraite-youthful-purity-and-musicianship-triumph-in-florence/