Playing of controlled brilliance and poetic beauty of yet another member of the remarkable McLachlan clan. Murray, Callum, Rose and now Matthew. Mother Katherine Page McLachlan in the wings keeping order when not playing in a duo partnership with Murray! Matthew’s younger brother Alec is on a sports scholarship at New York University , but his father tells me he plays a ‘mean’ Bach Prelude and Fugue when not being a star goal keeper! Matthew ,too, had to make a choice to pursue his boxing or piano skills. As we can appreciate today he made the right choice! Musicianly playing of authority which he has obviously acquired from his studies with Dina Parakhina where also his advocacy of the works of Medtner was born.
A Scarlatti sonata played with clarity and sparkling brilliance with ornaments just adding to the continual outpouring of ‘joie de vivre’. Matthew played it with an infectious rhythmic energy that gave a great sense of dance to this the first of what was to be over five hundred Sonatas.
The three Fairy tales op 9 by Medtner were played with sumptuous rich sounds contrasting so well with the innocent purity of his Scarlatti. Matthew brought a remarkable sense of shape and line to a composer that can, in lesser hands, seem very meandering and over endowed with notes. The first and longest was played with romantic fervour, bursting into a rhythmic central episode deep in the bass before returning to the opening romantic outpouring of even more intensity . The second was of eloquent beauty and was played with a glowing purity. The third was gently rocking and rhapsodic played with golden sounds of etherial beauty.Three remarkable miniatures rarely heard but of which Matthew was a very persuasive advocate even if he had to tell the audience when he had finished! Medtner is gradually making his way into the concert hall thanks to the untiring work of Dina Parakhina and her students.
Pour Le Piano is an early work of Debussy and the opening Prelude had a beautifully etched tenor melody over a flowing accompaniment of almost baroque style seen through a romantic lens. Matthew allowed the music to unfold with atmospheric beauty as it built to a noble climax of aristocratic chords with glissandi embellishments that just added to the exhilaration . Gradually dying away to a rumbled whisper on which chiselled notes were allowed to float with magic and beauty leading to another noble outburst and the sumptuous aristocratically played final chords. Matthew brought a poignant glowing beauty to the Sarabande with the yearning of the gently played leaning appoggiaturas. A beauty and a desolation of noble sentiment ,with playing of refined sensibility. The Toccata was played with controlled brilliance with great clarity and an overall enticing architectural shape.Washes of arpeggios spread over the keyboard as a melody was heard in the tenor register with subtle innuendo with a mass of harmonies spread over the entire keyboard bringing this Toccata to a brilliant finish with a ‘tour de force’ of controlled technical mastery.
The Schubert Wanderer Fantasy I have heard Matthew play recently ( see review below) and it was today another performance of youthful brilliance combined with poetic beauty. A work that had created a new form where classical and romantic invention could live happily together with the transformation of themes like characters in an opera. It was to inspire Liszt and in turn of course his son in law Richard Wagner with the so called ‘leit motif’. An exhilarating opening where Lisztian brilliance is combined with Schubertian lyricism. Sumptuous rich sounds to the Wanderer- Adagio as the variations were allowed to unfold with radiance and beauty. Passion and refined brilliance combined with golden streams of jeux perlé in a long outpouring that was simply the exultation of beauty. Gradually building to a passionate climax leading to a very measured Scherzo that Matthew played with Brahmsian orchestral sounds. Lisztian brilliance combined, of course, with Schubertian elegant lyricism. The final ‘Fugato’ was played with grandiose authority and noble brilliance. A remarkable control, as the excitement rose, which gave great strength to this final outpouring of exhilaration and technical brilliance.
An encore of two movements of a Haydn Sonata showed off Matthew’s refined musicianship and sense of style .
Chetham’s School of Music alumnus Matthew McLachlan was awarded the C. Bechstein scholarship to continue his studies at the Royal College of Music with professor Dina Parakhina. Recipient of numerous awards, Matthew has performed as concerto soloist and recitalist in Poland, Serbia, Italy, Spain, Germany, France and throughout the UK. In July of 2021 Matthew was awarded 1st prize in the Royal College of Music Chappell Medal piano competition and the Esther Fisher prize for best undergraduate performance. In 2023, Matthew was a finalist in the Isidor Bajic International Piano Competition and awarded 1st prize in the Bromsgrove International Musicians Competition.
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 