‘Youthful Fire in service of the Greats ‘

An appreciation by Elena Vorotoko , co Artistic director of the Keyboard Trust

Steinway Hall in London opened its doors and piano lid for the Keyboard Trust New Artist recital once again. It was a newly fledged model D, plastic films still protecting the pedals, its grandeur ready to be discovered. Discovered it was, by a 20-year-old Sean Godden, 3rd year student at the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Graham Scott. The opening chords of Handel’s 5th Suite transported the audience into a large cathedral, filled with glorious lines, whispering and grand columns of harmony in the improvisatory Prelude. Creating a rich ambience with his pedalling, Sean flowed smoothly through the conversations between the voices in the Allemande, timing the pace with flexibility and poise. The sharply articulated Courante was full of surprises, creating a boisterous contrast. The famous ‘Harmonious Blacksmith’ followed as the final movement of the Suite. Best known as a separately performed piece that is rumoured to have been inspired by a blacksmith’s hammer striking the anvil with a repeated note – B, as was witnessed by Handel who had sheltered in a smithy from rain. Whatever the origin, this famous piece does not fail to excite with its progressively faster notes, starting with crotchets and quavers, then semi-quavers, then triplets and semi-demi-quavers. Sean took a brisk tempo at the start and did not budge when it came to the pages blackened with notes – it was an exciting rendition! A little less pedal and more finger articulation to accentuate the start of each note, a little like the harpsichord, would add extra fire to the otherwise stellar performance.

Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata followed .Sean only 20 years old chose to pair the two masterpieces because Beethoven admired Handel deeply and thought him to be the greatest composer, even above J.S. Bach. The grand canvas of the Sonata invited large strokes from the pianist and, paired with the vibrant powers of the piano, this performance will resonate in our minds and hearts for a while still. Solid in his grasp of the material, Sean was clearly constructing a narrative, something he is interested in discovering in movies, as he mentioned later in the interview. Moments of serenity and beauty were swept away with youthful enthusiasm. Sean admitted to have been rather inspired by the instrument and its capabilities and made the most of this opportunity to play one of the top pianos at this famous venue. The fireworks of the dramatically contrasting Scherzo gave way to the grey skies of the Adagio Sostenuto with a rare ray of sunshine interrupting the gloomy chordal texture. The middle section of the movement revealed the most sincere, yet emotional, rendition from Sean, singing the theme from his heart which soared with desperate sorrow. The last movement with its challenging fugue revealed Sean’s grasp of the structure and role of every note. Wildly contrasting in both tempo changes and dynamics, this movement had a spine-chilling drive to the very end, impressively articulated and performed with full commitment, though seemingly rather at ease. A very impressive young man, whose passion for sharing his stories through music will take him far.