Beethoven,Debussy and Schumann an outpouring of beautiful sounds in a church illuminated by candlelight for yet another concert for Warren Maille-Smith’s City Productions .
Tonight Rose Mc Lachlan was giving a concert for a special occasion that saw the remarkable McLachlan clan in London this weekend to celebrate a very special birthday.
Kathryn Page McLachlan with her mother and husband Murray McLachlan https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2021/02/21/murray-mclachlan-at-st-marys/
Beethoven’s early op 2 n 2 Sonata dedicated to his teacher Haydn but already stamping his own genius on a now established form. Beethoven imbues this early sonata with remarkable dynamic contrasts and chameleonic changes of character that Rose played with a kaleidoscope of colours , rhythmic drive and technical mastery. From the opening question and answer to the orchestrally conceived slow movement and a Scherzo and trio of whimsical seriousness.The delicacy of the ending of the first movement preparing us for the solemn beauty of the ‘Largo appassionato’ with it’s beautifully held melodic line and the gentle non legato accompaniment played with superb control and of long beautiful lines of poignant significance.It is in the slow movements of these early sonatas that Beethoven shows his originality breaking away from his teacher Haydn and creating an art form of intensity and profundity.The next sonata in this trio of op 2 has a slow movement of enormous proportions as do the sonatas that immediately follow of op 7 and op 10 n. 3 .The elegance and charm that Rose brought to the Scherzo was contrasted with the dynamic drive of the Trio. It was though the last movement where Beethoven paints great elegant lines of charm and originality that Rose played with a superb sense of style as the music was allowed to flow with grace until interrupted by a typical Beethovenian outburst of irascible impatience.Rose played this rumbustious interruption with dynamic drive and rhythmic precision with fleeting finger work of pointed energy until with an elegant wave of the hand Beethoven takes us back to the grace and elegance of the Rondo.The playful question and answer between the left and the right hand that followed was played with bucolic joy as the strident chords returned again creating a brilliant contrast before the gentle ending of refreshing consolation.
Two Debussy Preludes were played with subtle beauty and sensitivity.Rose had chosen two from the second book of 12 Preludes :Bruyères and Ondine in this series where all twenty four will be played by six different pianists.It was simple beauty that she brought to the opening ‘Heather’ with its pastoral feeling of a gentle breeze blowing in a peaceful pastoral scene.The ending was beautifully played with the deep rumbling bass just adding an extra sense of calm to such a ravishing scene.’Ondine’ was a favourite of Artur Rubinstein and is a miniature tone poem of beauty, grace and menace. Rose played it with a kaleidoscope of sounds from the gentle opening and mellifluous waves of sound played with delicacy and improvised freedom as her poetic sensibility was ignited by such ravishing beauty.The gentle murmur that followed was every bit as beautiful as in ‘La Terrace des audiences du Clair de lune’ where Debussy can paint incredible beauty in sound. Rubinstein used to build up to a great swirling outburst at this point ( he had, after all, known the composer who perhaps shared his extrovert interpretation ) but Rose followed Debussy’s very precise instructions and remained in a magic world of glistening ravishing sounds that spread over the keys with featherlight radiance.
It was in Schumann’s Davidsbündler that Rose reached moments of sublime inspiration as she played with passionate abandon and a ravishing sense of balance, bringing this masterpiece vividly to life.The fourteenth,one of the most beautiful melodies that Schumann ever penned, was played with restrained beauty and subtle luminosity: ‘Zart un singend’.Coming after the passionate outpouring of the thirteenth where the central chorale was played with sumptuous full sound before the fleeting lightness and beguiling charm of the ending.The twelfth was thrown off with whimsical mastery and had followed the sublime simple beauty of Schumann at his most enigmatic.The Brahmsian ballade of the tenth was played with passionate orchestral sounds of Philadelphian sumptuousness.Rose had thrown herself into the ninth with fearless abandon where Schumann’s whimsical fancy is a trial for any pianist! The sixth dance was played with a technical mastery where Schumann’s most precise demands were interpreted with dynamic drive and intoxicating ‘joie de vivre’,this was Florestan at his most devilish! As was the passionate outburst of the fourth with a passionate outpouring no doubt with this beloved Clara in mind.The disarming simplicity of the fifth where Eusebius just looks at the beauty that surrounds him with nonchalant innocence.The opening too where Florestan and Eusebius combine with flights of imagination and subtle beauty where Rose played with great artistry and understanding and a technical control that could turn Schumann’s precise indications into such beautiful sounds.The grandiose beauty of the fifteenth was breathtaking in it’s sweep and passionate conviction but even here Rose managed to interpret Schumann’s indications with respectful mastery and musicianship.She even threw herself into the fray ‘Mit gutem Humor’ with masterly playing of precision and a chameleonic sense of character.The heavenly vision that appears on the horizon ‘Wie aus der Ferne’ showed Rose’s quite extraordinary poetic understanding of Schumann’s elusive wonderland.Magic sounds were whispered with glowing beauty in a mist of heavenly sounds as Eusebius returned in a master stroke of a genius before allowing Florestan the last word. The final nostalgic and desolate waltz was so movingly beautiful that the public dared not applaud and break such a magic spell.As Schumann says ‘Quite superfluously Eusebius remarked as follows:but all the time great bliss spoke from his eyes’.
‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ and a Rose is always a rose!
A sensitive radiant Rose shining brightly at the London Piano Festival 2024
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 