The extraordinary Tyler Hay excites and stimulates the senses at the National Liberal Club with a recital of ‘petit rien’, full of ebullient fun and outrageous virtuosity. Thwarted by Ben Westlake in a comic partnership that goes back after many years of cruising together over many seas. It took Chairman Peter Whyte to restore order with a bottle of vintage champagne and a bunch of flowers!
‘Tyler Hay Vaudeville Virtuoso! ‘ A piano Recital of Wit,Wonder,and Wizardry shouts the poster.
We will not be asking for our money back but demanding a return fight!
A programme that had begun with the Polonaise Héroique. Frederick Lamond declared it to be more often a Bolognaise than a Polonaise! Heroically played by the new born Victor Borge where their wit belies the artistry and mastery involved. Debussy’s ‘Girl with the flaxen Hair’ followed and was played with a tenderness and beauty that showed what a sensitive heart this young man possesses too. Spring was in the air with Mendelssohn and Sinding .
A ‘song’ and a ‘rustle’ that used to be on the music stand next to the aspidistra in every respectable household until ousted by the TV.
And a virtuoso piece by Liszt before we adjourned to the bar with bells jingling in our heads from a dizzying display of refined virtuosity with Liszt’s helpful additions to the extraordinary goings on of Paganini ! Yes,’La Campanella!’
After the interval two rarely heard masterworks discovered by Tyler on his journey into the archives to find neglected masterpieces that for some reason have been overlooked and even overshadowed by the works that our concert programmes are all too often besieged with ! As Tyler said so many childhoods have been spoilt by the name of Czerny with he and Clementi being responsible for so much youthful anguish Gradus ad Parnassum – the later being very rarely reached ! But within the 861 works of this pupil of Beethoven and teacher of Liszt there are some gems for those that have the ears and above all the fingers to bring them back to life . One such piece was played tonight : ’34 variations and fugato on an original theme by Carl Czerny.’ . An amazing display not only of ‘fingerfertigkeit’ but a finesse and refined palette of sounds that only Horowitz was able to show us in the better known ‘Ricordanza’ Variations. Played with passion and fury but also with delicacy and a kaleidoscope of colour .This was indeed a discovery and the only recording that exists is of Tyler Hay pilfered from a live performance and ready to be consumed by thousands on you tube!
The main work in the programme showed Tyler Hay, the serious thinking musician, who could bring Anton Rubinstein’s First (of four) Sonata brilliantly to life, giving it an architectural shape and narrative that indeed makes one wonder why it is not heard more often in the concert hall. This was certainly no vaudeville but a brilliant searching musician with a virtuoso technique and a heart of gold.
Awarded the Kettner equivalent of the nobel by the Chairman Peter Whyte – a bottle of vintage Champagne and a bunch of daisies!
The next concert in the Kettner series is a celebration for Halloween and will be given by Shunta Morimoto ,the twenty year old winner of the Hastings International Piano Competition (at 17!). The concerts take place in the historic Hall where Rachmaninov gave his last European performance in 1939 before fleeing to a New World where he died in 1943.
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 