‘Kenny offered the audience, who filled the Steinway concert room to capacity, a very attractive programme, starting with the gem that is Bach’s Prelude No 10 in E minor arranged – and transposed to B minor – by Russian pianist, conductor and composer Alexander Siloti. Kenny Fu gave a tasteful account of the piece, although to me it wasn’t clear Kenny understood ‘why’ Bach’s left hand became Siloti’s right hand.
Haydn E minor Sonata was technically excellent and the Adagio had that feeing of improvisation, though the Presto and Vivace molto could have benefited for some of the wit and humour of the recently departed Alfred Brendel.
The first Transcendental Etude by Liszt, in G minor was delivered with all the virtuosity required, but the fully-opened magnificent Steinway Model D was too loud for the room. Finger virtuosity is a gift that comes naturally to Kenny ; he now needs to refine his ”ear’ virtuosity, that is, listen to the balance of the voices in the music. Liszt’s 104 Soneto del Petrarca was expressed eloquently but will in time gain the intimacy it calls for.
Kenny Fu is a natural Chopin player and the selection of Masterpieces he offered proved that. My personal view is that the left hand in the ‘Revolutionary’ Etude, Op.10 No.12 ought to be more turbulent and dramatic and the right hand octaves and chords should add ‘colour’ to the left hand. And the ‘accelerando’ also has a meaning.The second Scherzo had drama and suspense. I’d suggest that Kenny takes heed of the fact that the desperate cry is in the 6th bar chord, not on the B flat of the preceding bar, which is a mere upbeat to the chord. An exquisite Mazurka in C minor, Op 56 No.3, preceded the final Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Op.22, played with authority and conviction.’
Alberto Portugheis
https://albertoportugheis.com/opusmusica/. https://www.facebook.com/alberto.portugheis
From his early solo debut at the Wigmore Hall to his attainment of the prestigious Sir Elton John Scholarship, Kenny Fu holds much potential and promise for a bright future.He has given concerts on three continents and has already performed extensively throughout UK’s distinguished halls including St Martin-in-the-Fields, Kings Place, Worthing’s Assembly Hall, St James’s Sussex Gardens. He regularly appears in London, Oxford, Brighton and the South of England for more private concert engagements. His repertoire choices gravitate toward the late Classical and Romantic Eras where he brings an intense and captivating temperament to the works of Beethoven, Brahms and Rachmaninov. Recently, Kenny has been awarded First Prize at the Norah Sande International Awards, Second Prize in the Croatian Piano Loop Competition and Third prize at the Fifth Vigo International Piano Competition where Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire and Cyprien Katsaris were on the panel of judges.During his earlier years, he was the winner of the Solihull Young Musician of the Year, Silver medalist at the Cyprus International Piano Competition, semi finalist at the Sussex International Piano competition and a quarter finalist at the BBC young musician of the year.He has received guidance from numerous esteemed musicians such as Dimitri Alexeev, Evgeny Sudbin, Natalia Trull, Pascal Devoyon, Richard Goode, Tim Horton, Imogen Cooper and Angela Hewitt during his studies at the Purcell School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.Kenny was born in Leamington Spa and is currently in the Advanced Diploma program at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Prof. Tatiana Sarkissova and Ian Fountain. He is generously sponsored by the Countess of Munster Trust, Warwick Arts Fund and Talent Unlimited.Another superb concert presented at Steinway Hall by the unique Keyboard Charitable Trust. This time it was the turn of a remarkable young pianist KENNY FU, born in the UK, to Chinese parents.
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 