Autore: ChristopherAxworthyMusicCommentary

Dina Parakhina has long been an advocate of Medtner and it was inspiring to hear her magnificent playing of his Romantic ‘Sketches for the young’ op 54.

Followed by a very informed talk, which I must say was difficult to decifer with the rather poor sound system and a microphone too distant from the speaker.

But it was her music that spoke louder than words. And what music!

Dina can play streams of notes with a subtle brilliance and ease that can turn Medtner’s elusive scores into streams of golden sounds.She can find the melodic line and architectural shape to music that so often can seem suffocated by busy counterpoints. The fluidity of her playing allowed Medtner’s notes to be waves of magic sound with playing that was of a horizontal beauty never allowing any ragged or ungrateful sounds to enter this unique magic world.

I was in her studio the other day when an eleven year old girl played to her Chopin’s notoriously difficult study op 10 n. 2 followed by op 10 n. 5. Exhilarating, astonishing performances for a little girl but Dina looked her in the eyes telling her that she must love what she is doing. She should listen more to music of operas, symphonies , songs so that she could fill the notes with meaning and real feeling .

It was just such love that Dina shared with us today. A composer much overlooked but that Dina has taken to heart and transformed endless reams of notes with fantasy and poignant meaning . Medtner is too often dismissed as Rachmaninov without the tunes. Dina today showed us the path to interpreting this seemingly uninviting music and to be able to transmit the jewels that Medtner has bequeathed to us with a vast range of works too seldom heard in public . The much loved Benno Moiseiwitch recorded one of Medtner ‘s three concerti just after the war but how often do we hear his 14 piano sonatas?

Preludes and tales alternated making up the eight Sketches that Dina played today.

A prelude or ‘Pastorale’ of fluidity and mellifluous beauty with a streaming web of silvery notes of undulating beauty.

Followed by the capricious ‘Bird’s tale’ of playful character, with flights of fleeting sounds of great beauty and a charming ending just thrown off with nonchalant ease.

Another prelude in tempo di ‘Sarabanda’ with a long drawn out gentle melodic line and a whispered ending of ravishing beauty. Followed by the next tale which was a ‘Scherzo’ with its continuous outpouring of notes of silvery undulating sounds.

A prelude of ‘Tender Reproach ‘ with gasping phrases of breathless beauty and a ‘ Barrel Organ’ of extraordinary eloquence was followed by a prelude or ‘ Hymn’ of beguiling beauty . The final ‘Beggar’ with its long melodic line of Slavic nostalgia ended this parade of Sketches for the young .

In Dina’s hands a magic web was woven with extraordinary mastery and simplicity and any words that she added could only underline her undying love and dedication to Nicolai Medtner.

Many do not know that he passed his final years in England helped by his pupil Edna Iles, who I once heard in recital in the Festival Hall playing the Liszt Sonata and works by Medtner.

He was buried in Hendon Cemetery on 13 November 1951.

What a revelation it was to listen to playing of fluidity and authority with the simplicity and beauty of a master.

Simon Callaghan an ex Chetham’s alumnus is now not only a distinguished member of the music profession, but also holds a Doctorate in music and is a pianist with an International career as soloist and chamber musician.

The first impression is of a pianist of the physical stature of Ashkenazy where everything seems tailored to fit so perfectly at the piano. A hand with that curve and arch which is of a born pianist ( actually a superbly trained one from an early age ). But it was not only the physical stature but also the metaphysical with playing of such intelligence and simplicity that he was able to communicate the music directly from the page into sounds.

An eclectic programme of Grieg and Poulenc turned out to be a continual discovery and delight, with playing of authority where each note played, seemed to belong in the right place at the right time such was the immediacy of communication!

Grieg’s ‘Holberg Suite ‘ more often heard in the later orchestral version was in Callaghan’s hands turned into a stream of delight. Melodies so well known were reborn and given a new life of scintillating brilliance and ravishing beauty. There was a remarkable fluidity but also a clarity to the Praeludium that unwound with fingers that were of an agility and precision but at the same time seemed wrapped in velvet, such was the sumptuous richness of the sound.

This was playing of a rare mastery from an artist with an orchestra of ten wonderful players in his hands.There was a sublime simplicity to the ‘Sarabande’ with a magical range of colours . He brought a charm of orchestral proportions to the ‘Gavotte’ with its vigour and scintillating rhythmic energy contrasting with a Trio of pure magic. There was a profound Bachian beauty to the ‘Air’ with a masterly sense of balance that could allow the melodic line to glow with radiance, supported but unimpeded by the glorious richness of the accompanying figures. It was the sparkling character of the Rigaudon that demonstrated Simon’s extraordinary digital mastery with an enviable fluidity and purity.

‘Les Soirées de Nazelles’ by Poulenc was another work rarely heard in the concert hall. Brilliance,charm and scintillating virtuosity all tinged with the aristocratic sound of Paris in the ’30’s. A wonderful sense of character and wit combined with the sumptuous sounds of the unique harmonic language of Poulenc. It is strange how Grieg and Poulenc have been unjustly neglected in the concert hall these days, but with performances like those we heard today that will surely change.

With the inquisitive mind of a true thinking musician Simon had found a page written by Poulenc as a commission from several composers for music to accompany a painting. It was with this charming cameo that he finished his concert today.

A fascinating cameo that just whets our appetite for more from a master pianist with an eclectic appetite.

A remarkable recital from the winner of the Leeds, with a programme of Bach,Scriabin and Chopin, before letting his hair down with Oscar Peterson and even Medtner.

I have heard Jaeden many times since the very first time as Gold medal winner of what turned out to be the last Santander competition. Paloma o’ Shea that very night announced her retirement at the Wigmore Hall where this young Canadian pianist had astonished us with a performance of Rachmaninov’s First Sonata, where his technical mastery and musical intelligence were of astonishing polished perfection. But he was equally at home in the Brahms Quintet with the Casals Quartet ,where his ability to listen and become part of an ensemble showed his extraordinary musicianship.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2022/10/10/santander-50th-anniversary-gala-and-a-sad-but-joyous-farewell-for-paloma-oshea/

I met him again at the masterclasses of Angela Hewitt in Perugia.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/08/24/angelas-generosity-and-infectious-song-and-dance-inspires-her-illustrious-students/

He has since gone on to win the Leeds competition astonishing all with his perfection in Brahms Second Piano concerto. And I was able to hear him again at the remarkable festival that Piotr Paleczny holds in Duszniki every year. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2024/08/06/jaeden-izik-dzurko-at-duszniki-festival-reveals-a-secret-world-of-burning-intensity-and-mastery/

His teacher from Canada, Corey Hamm is on the faculty of Chethams and it was fascinating to hear of the challenge of guiding such extraordinary talent. Jaeden in his quest to know more is now perfecting his studies at the Rome Academy Santa Cecilia under Benedetto Lupo, as he is delving ever deeper into the mysteries that are to be found in the score. A young man with such mastery in his fingers and an extraordinary mind that can steer his way through an enormous amount of music with seeming ease and total mastery.

His playing over these past years has grown in stature and depth and under the eagle eye of Benedetto Lupo he will come to terms with a life in music and all that it entails. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/06/20/benedetto-lupo-il-re-di-roma-taming-his-young-lions-with-mastery-poetry-and-above-all-humanity/

Last night was an example, as after his programme of three major works from the piano repertoire he let his hair down and ignited the atmosphere with a performance of Oscar Peterson that I doubt even that Canadian genius could have matched for exhilaration and animal excitement. He seemed to have unlocked a door that continued with a Fairy Tale by Medtner that would have had even Dina Parakhina cheering, for the character and scintillating life that he brought to this much misunderstood composer.

The concert had begun with a monumental performance of Bach’s Fourth Partita. The overture was played with authority and crystalline clarity where the bass was a fundamental part of creating a kaleidoscope of colour. The subtle rhythmic energy he brought to the central episode was of such slippery ease with discreet ornaments added with fleeing brilliance like highly wound springs. Even more noticeable in the repeat where he increased the volume and intensity giving an architectural shape to this extraordinary opening movement. There was a simple beauty to the Allemande that was played with a purity and rhythmic drive that I found slightly too fast for the dance like character but which Jaeden played with remarkable tonal control. The Courante of knotty twine was full of character and an extraordinary rhythmic buoyancy. An Aria of charm and grace before the questioning radiance of the Sarabande. A beautifully paced Minuet was followed by the mighty Gigue of fluidity and a hypnotic drive. An extraordinary technical brilliance but with a sense of balance that allowed him to reveal always the music line.

This contrasted with the brooding insistence of Scriabin with its barely whispered opening bathed in pedal creating the mysterious atmosphere that builds with ever more intensity until the explosive vision of the ‘star’. Jaeden had an incredible range of sound which never became hard or percussive even in the most strenuous passages where there was a sumptuous beauty to the sound. A seemingly effortless mastery of selfless dedication to the composer he is serving. There is no showmanship or crowd pleasing gestures but a mastery that with enviable humility he shares his musical discoveries without any personal idiosyncrasies

Chopin’s B minor Sonata was played with remarkable control and a subtle tonal palette that was evident from the opening phrases.The second subject played with great strength and beauty and all through this movement there was a constant forward movement that did not allow any time to wallow or distort in the so-called Chopin tradition.Here was a master musician looking carefully at what the composer had indicated and with poetic intelligence transforming the printed page into sounds with a masterly strength and sense of architectural shape. He even repeated the exposition but in a way that made such sense from a much debated indication, as in the second sonata too. There was a scintillating jeux perlé of brilliance to the Scherzo, but always with a poetic shaping of the phrases. A trio of sumptuous rich pedalled sounds as the music was allowed to evolve with mystery and radiance. The reappearance of the scherzo I have rarely heard played with such subtle poetic meaning as in Jaeden’s hands today. The final chords of the scherzo became the great opening fanfare of the Largo. The movement was allowed to unfold with a subtle whispered beauty and a sense of balance of extraordinary sensitivity. The final bars bathed in pedal as the opening theme reappeared as a distant dream with delicacy and sensitivity. There was a gradual entry of the octaves that open the finale, leading to the ‘Presto non tanto’ that was played with driving intensity and excitement. Streams of notes thrown off with breathtaking brilliance as the music moved with ever more intensity to the exhilarating final bars that were played with astonishing mastery.

An extraordinary concert and afterwards in the green room many colleagues and friends to congratulate a young man on the crest of a wave. In fact a wave that will take him to Peru and the Dominican Republic in the next few days and at the end of the month performances of Rachmaninov third concerto. I asked him which cadenza he was playing and of course he said he played them both but thought the bigger one was with less problems.

I really do not think this young man has many problems to worry about judging from his note perfect recital tonight !

Yuanfan Yang with Chopin in top gear Part 2 in Dracula’s Castle. Mazurkas op 33 ,Sonata op 35 ,Variations op 2 and Polonaise Fantasy op 61. More masterly playing from Yuanfan as try out performances for his participation at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in October.

A parting shot on my last almost full day .A day full of extraordinary stimulating events. Parting is indeed such sweet sorrow ………….

Neil Rutman not only playing the wonderful score of Poulenc without the music but also reciting from memory ‘The Story of Babar the little Elephant’. Playing of refined good taste as we were to appreciate in his performance of Liszt’s ‘Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude’. Playing of glowing beauty and remarkable technical mastery. But as with Babar, Neil is a master story teller and his tale with and without words kept us enthralled in this short Lunchtime Recital.

Another quite remarkable ‘tour de force’ from Murray Mc Lachlan with a recital dedicated to the work of Edward Gregson . Performances of transcendental command and authority that even the composer enthusiastically endorsed with his magnificent performance of his marathon Sonata.

A performance of ravishing beauty and a voyage of discovery into the wonder world of the Ukraine of which she is an authority.

There is obviously something very special in the air in Manchester these days. Music of radiance and beauty is filling the air from musicians of dedication with a musicianship of integrity and honesty . Artists dedicated to serving the composer and not abusing the composer, as Brendel would say.

Today the first of four concerts began with two young artists : Susanna Braun and Luis Ribeiro perfecting their studies at the RNCM .

The first in the Young Artists Recital lunchtime series that Susanna opened with Scarlatti of delicacy and precision. A dynamic drive and energy within the notes themselves with subtle refined phrasing, managing to create a jewel of glistening brilliance. It was the same intelligence and refined tonal palette that gave such weight and importance to Liszt’s late Hungarian Rhapsody. A work rarely heard in the concert hall was here rediscovered and reborn with a refined musicianship that was of radiance and beauty rather than rhetorical showmanship.

Scriabin’s magical fourth sonata found the ideal interpreter in Susanna with a sense of balance that could allow Scriabin’s mellifluous invention to sing with glowing beauty wrapped in arabesques of gold and silver. Such sensitivity and sensibility that the melodic line was revealed rather than projected. The pianistic gymnastics of the second movement were played with masterly precision but always allowing for the sense of line the builds to the sumptuous vision of the star which she allowed to overpower and fill the piano with sumptuous sounds of exhilaration and excitement.

Chethams is far from the circus arena mentality of comparative performance.It is a living , vibrant shrine to music with a capital ‘M’. Luis Ribeiro who I had just met having an early lunch , like me, before the music making began. The difference of course I can listen passively but a performer has to actively produce the sounds .

Luis had obviously enjoyed his early lunch as was evident from the authority and beauty he brought to all he did. An innocence of humility and mastery as music just poured from his fingers with a glowing radiance of beauty. Rarely performed works of Bortkiewicz who I had heard in a recital of Ukrainian composers given recently by Margaret Fingerhut at the Wigmore Hall , who will be performing here on Saturday.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/03/30/margaret-fingerhut-a-piano-portrait-of-ukraine-beautymastery-and-solidarity-played-with-searing-commitment-and-glowing-beauty/

Luis, a student of Murray McLachlan played four of the lamentations and consolations from op 17 . The two lamentations were played with a flowing mellifluous output of great beauty . The seventh in E flat minor , in Scriabinesque style, full of technical challenges that Luis played with masterly musicianship and passionate persuasion . The two consolations were played with an ethereal beauty that Luis projected with great poignancy and subtle colouring.

Suddenly Luis tuned into fifth gear for the sound world of Prokofiev . A menacing relentless rhythmic drive but played with a kaleidoscope of colour with wild insinuating sounds thrown onto this throbbing persistent outpouring . A tour de force for any pianist but in an artist’s hands,as today, it can turn into a tone poem of remarkable potency and brilliance . It was a teenage Martha Argerich who astonished the world with the same combination of transcendental brilliance combined with a kaleidoscope of fantasy and colour.

The exquisite cuisine at Chethams obviously played its part today too !!!

The Taubman Approach explained by Nina Tichman in a fascinating illustrated talk where we were given just a snippet of her superb playing. Music speaks louder than words but Nina’s ability to explain the Taubman myth was fascinating and cleared up

many misunderstandings that have grown over the years via musical gossip and ignorance .

Nina tells me she is playing a Schubert Sonata programme next month: the little A major , big Aminor and the D major. Her range of sound and kaleidoscope of colour will speak louder than any words ever could. The ending of the D major was pure magic as I could appreciate as she tried the piano before her talk.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/04/14/nina-tichman-bachs-goldberg-alive-and-well-and-safely-grazing-in-palermo/

……..in the meantime ………..Goings on at Chethams

Two great ladies : Dina Parakhina and Noriko Ogawa sharing their artistry with aspiring students

An incredible ‘ tour de force ‘ with a recital by Murray Mc Lachlan based on the Fantasy.

Murray who had started the day with early morning warm- ups at 8.15 and a full teaching schedule all day. He even presented Nina Tichman just a couple of hours before sitting at the piano himself to embark on a recital that would strike fear into the most courageous of pianists.

But then the Mc Lachlan clan are renowned for their seeming endless amounts of energy and organisational skills and its is thanks to them that this oasis for pianists has existed for the past 22 years.It was nice that Murray remembered his mentor Peter Katin to whom he dedicated the concert, having studied the first two works with him .Peter Katin was a great friend of mine too and he would often come and play in my concert series in Rome towards the end of his life when his fame seemed to be on the wane after his return from a long period spent in Canada.

A monumental performance of the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue of Bach. There are many editions of the opening Fantasia that is a great improvisation of monumental proportions of drama ,brilliance and recitativi of poignant significance. I like to think he used the Busoni elaborations as he was to shine a spotlight on Busoni later in the programme with the Carmen fantasy and the works of Ronald Stevenson dubbed by many as the Scottish Busoni.

Murray played then Bach with crystalline clarity and remarkable rhythmic precision bringing all the improvised elements of the Fantasia together to create a unified whole of monumental proportions. The Fugue subject entering on the whispered final chord of the fantasia and building into a complex work of knotty twine, where Murray could steer us through the genial maze with superb musicianship and a sense of line that brought the work to a conclusion of nobility and searing emotional intensity.

From the very first notes of the Chopin Fantasy I could feel the presence of Peter Katin who in his day would regularly give Chopin recitals in a sold out Festival Hall. There was a weight and sense of portamento to Murray’s playing which allowed for a continuous flow of music invention under a roof of sound that united all the exquisite details and passionate outpourings into one unified whole.

The extraordinary central episode was played with a poignant simple beauty before exploding with dynamic drive and passionate commitment with playing of remarkable strength and a harmonic precision that allowed for such freedom and intensity.

The Busoni Carmen Fantasy burst onto the scene with an enviable dynamic drive as it’s hustle and bustle just prepared us for the arrival of Carmen. Voluptuous beauty and scintillating beguiling streams of notes created the red hot atmosphere that Busoni could conjure up in his hotel room, one afternoon, as a refreshing change to the challenge of the birth of his masterpiece Doktor Faust. This is a tour de force for any pianist and a display of jeux perlé and dynamic brilliance added to a chameleonic change of character. Needing a kaleidoscopic palette of sounds that Murray amazingly demonstrated with his scintillating playing of ravishing seduction. It was unearthed in my day by the young John Ogdon and it was Ogdon that Murray mentioned when talking about his first meeting with that genial musician Ronald Stevenson.

Arriving at the composers house he was asked to sight read the Fantasy on Peter Grimes that he had just written. Murray tells us that Stevenson did not think much of his sight reading as Ogdon had done much better the week before! Approved by Benjamin Britten himself in 1974 who was responsible for finding a publisher too, it is a work that is part of Murray’s repertoire. It shows a remarkable range of colour as Stevenson seems ,like Busoni , to find the very essence of the work and is able to elaborate a free and improvised work of great invention and originality. The final piece on the programme was in fact a rarity that is Stevenson’s fantasy on Busoni’s Doktor Faust .It was fascinating to hear Murray tell us about the birth of a work that had been put to one side until quite recently. It was a work conceived in Victoria Station just next door to Chethams when Stevenson had finally got hold of the score of Busoni’s monumental Doktor Faust. It was a life changing experience for Stevenson and this very early work had been put to one side until only recently.

Tonight was perhaps only the second public performance and its was a heroic gesture that Murray could include it tonight in his recital which comes in the midst of a musical activity that would strike terror in to the most intrepid souls.

Not our Murray who after an authoritative performance of this innovative work he also played an encore written by a composer actually present in the hall.

A charming waltz by Euan T Moseley who is an 82 year old geography teacher whose complete works Murray is recording .Murray will also celebrate the works of another composer Edward Gregson whose 80th birthday Murray will be celebrating on Saturday with a recital dedicated entirely to a selection of his piano works.

Murray after such a tour de force still had the energy to present the next recital by Leon McCawley just half an hour later!

Hot on the heels of Murray McLachlan, Leon McCawley bestrode the Stoller Hall like a Colossus. Playing of such intelligence and integrity and a pianist who could bring Beethoven’s ill fated Andante favori into the spotlight with an extraordinary range of sounds.A classical discipline that was filled with music making of such character never allowing Beethoven’s dynamic drive to loose its momentum or the constant undercurrent of energy or to be distracted by fussy detail. This was playing of refined artistry combined with a scrupulous attention to the indications of the composer. It was strong vibrant playing with moments of Beethoven’s constant changes of character played with a mastery that brought the music vividly to life .

The ‘Waldstein’ Sonata burst into life on the tail of the Andante Favori, which originally was to have been the slow movement. Beethoven obviously realised that it was far too an important work to include in the sonata and it was published separately, the composer substituting it with an introduction to the Rondò. It was an intelligent choice to preface the sonata with the Andante and in Leon’s magical hands it seemed that this was its rightful place rather than actually being part of it.The ‘Waldstein’ just flew from his hands with a whispered rhythmic drive played with remarkable clarity and precision. The second subject beautifully shaped without any slowing, which allowed the music to flow with a continuous forward movement leading to the gradual build up of harmonies in the development that Leon played with rich full sounds before returning to the pulsating rhythmic energy of the beginning. The introduction to the Rondò was played with sonorous sounds of great poignancy until the final G rang out with a luminosity that became the beginning of the beautiful Rondò theme of the ‘Allegretto moderato.’ Beethoven’s pedalling was scrupulously observed and it gave a magic sheen to the theme, contrasting with the ever more strenuous intervening episodes where power and extraordinary clarity was allied to an exhilarating rhythmic drive .Delius was quoted as describing Beethoven’s works as all scales and arpeggios, and nowhere is that more evident than in this sonata. But when there is such a burning energy behind the notes even scales and arpeggios become a giant spring unwinding before our very eyes.The coda too was beautifully played even if the famous glissandi were not attempted on this modern piano . Leon was so fleet of finger that it was not of any importance as the music moved inexorably forward with beauty and drive united in a master work of power and originality. It was the exciting sequel to the overwhelming ‘Appassionata’ that Martin Roscoe had played in the opening concert here at Chethams.

Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue is another work that needs a great musician to transform the rather rhapsodic nature into one monumental whole. Leon began with a wondrous whisper on which the theme emerged, as it was to do later in the last movement after the fugue. Leon has a masterly sense of balance and proportion and his scrupulous attention to detail makes for a wondrous journey.The expanding chords of the chorale are a magical way to make the chords vibrate and live with radiance and beauty – reaching for the stars which was the chorale played by Leon with masterly authority.The enormous build up to the climax of the fugue was defused by the glorious appearance on the horizon of the opening theme. It floated on the magical web of sounds that Leon could conjure from the piano and led to the aristocratic authority of the final joyous outpouring of chords reaching ever higher, with the majesty and devotion of a fervent believer.

A whispered prelude by Rachmaninov op 32 n. 5 offered as an encore, was played with magical sounds and sumptuous sonorities built up with a masterly use of the pedals.

Cheered to the rafters by a public that included many of Leon’s illustrious colleagues and was a concert to add to the memorable music making that we have been treated to in the past few days.

Yuanfan Yang giving two late night concerts playing through his repertoire for the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw for which he was one of the few selected from hundreds of applicants of aspiring young pianists.

His first recital was with the works he will present in the first round.

Beginning with the famous Chopin Study op 10.n.3 the so called ‘Tristesse’ etude or ‘How deep is the night’ – a good title for a concert that started at 10 and was the fourth on this very full day!

Corey Hamm , on the faculty this year , his former student Jaeden Izik-Dzurko will give a recital tonight, had been asked by Yuanfan to make notes during his performance of some of the major works of Chopin.

From the very first notes of this much abused study the refined elegance and sense of style was the key to all he played.

The Barcarolle one of the greatest works of Chopin with it’s outpouring of mellifluous invention was allowed to flow on a wave simple natural beauty reaching heights of radiant bel canto before the increase of intensity to the climax that Yuanfan played with nobility and remarkable control . Letting his hair down with the impish cross rhythms of the waltz op 42 that Yuanfan played with a brilliant jeux perlé and almost improvised freedom of passionate intensity .

The Polonaise op 44 showed Yuanfan’s sense of architectural design, nowhere more than in the mazurka central episode that in lesser hands can seem so shapeless and more often than not pointless! Not in Yuanfan’s hands where the long repetitive motiv was given a sense of direction as it dissolved into the ravishing beauty of long drawn out bel canto. The rhythmic drive and technical mastery of the actual Polonaise was played within a sound world where the technical challenges passed unnoticed, as the forward propulsion and architectural shape were played with extraordinary musicianship and understanding. This is not always the case with an often misunderstood masterwork.

The six preludes from the heart of Chopin’s twenty four, 13 to 18, allowed Yuanfan to pass from the sublime to the ridiculous ! The thirteenth a sublime outpouring of bel canto where the beauty and delicacy of the meandering left hand should be of harmonic support but also discreet to allow the melodic line to sing with a natural glowing radiance. Yuanfan did not project the sound but allowed it to emerge with his masterly sense of balance. A rumbustuous wind blew over the fourteenth before the simple refined beauty of the ‘Raindrop’ prelude. It was played with restraint and aristocratic good taste and it lead to the sweeping mellifluous beauty of the seventeenth. Allowed to flow with a natural unaffected beauty where even the deep A flats in the bass allowed the melody to return floating on a cloud of wondrous sonorities. The sixteenth is in fact a ridiculous stream of notes with a relentless pounding bass that leaves no room for a moments doubt . A ‘tour de force’ played with mastery but also with passionate intensity by Yuanfan. A dramatic cadenza was thrown off with transcendental streams of notes before Yuanfan’s teasing escapade into the bel canto world to be found in Chopin’s Nocturnes .

The famous nocturne in E flat with unexpected variations that the new definitive version of Chopin’s works has included as authenticated elaborations by Chopin himself. It was true to Yuanfan’s enquiring musicianship that he should have uncovered this somewhat controversial element in performances practices of the day. Embellishments or not it was played with the same intelligence of refined good taste and style that is the hallmark of all he plays.

Yuanfan is a remarkable composer and improviser so can appreciate the motivation behind these practices that can seem to some an unnecessary intrusion on modern day instruments that can sustain and resonate in a way that was not possibile in the day when the ink was still wet on the page .

A controversial subject that really is of little importance when structure and architectural shape are paramount and as Yuanfan showed us with the final two works on his programme, the second Ballade and second Scherzo . A masterly control of musical intelligence that with humility and respect can recreate these masterpieces with strength and beauty leaving the so called Chopin tradition to self indulgent entertainers .These are not the dedicated interpreters delving deep into the composers scores to extract the very essence of the creation of such masterworks like we were witnessing at this late hour tonight – Je resens, je joue, je trasmets….Bravo Yuanfan onwards and upwards

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2021/10/29/yuanfan-yang-premio-chopin-2018-celebrates-the-30th-anniversary-of-rome-international-piano-competition/

Chethams, day one with Martin Roscoe allowing Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann to speak for themselves with music making of intelligence and mastery but above all with a love and passion that as Murray McLachlan said makes him a National treasure.

Beethoven , Schubert and Schumann were allowed to speak with masterly simplicity. A musicianship that belies any importance except to the music of which he is a servant. Allowing the music to speak with the voice of the composer.

A lifetime studying the scores allows him to transmit what the composer actually wrote in the score without any distortions or personal interventions, but with a vivid imagination and mastery that could recreate Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann as if the ink was still wet on the page . Martin had confided that at the age of sixty it was time to prioritise his dedication to the composer and not to the ritual dance of the concert platform

With a hall full of pianists it was the turn of the pianist’s pianist with Steven Osborne firstly seducing us with sounds of Schumann’s Kinderszenen that were indeed the thing that dreams are made of. A whispered poetry so much more intimate than Curzon but with that same fantasy and respect for what the composer indicates, that makes it sound so simple – too easy for children but usually too difficult for adults .This was certainly not the case tonight. But Osborne is a chameleonic pianist and one who relishes the very sound of the piano at the moment of recreation . An eclectic programme that fits into no pattern except for a passionate wish to communicate without any preconceived barriers.

Ending with a scintillating Oscar Peterson having taken us on an unexpected voyage with Meredith Monk’s hypnotic ‘Railroad’ or Rzewski’s revolutionary ‘Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues’ where fingers were just not enough , like with Ives, to transmit the emotions of a disturbed soul .
It was with the gentle encore, maybe a song from his native Scotland that like Maxwell Davis the stillness of natural beauty was the very genesis of music itself. https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/02/25/steven-osborne-at-the-wigmore-hall-the-wings-of-song-of-a-poet-of-the-piano/

Tomorrow Leon Mc Cawley , Murray McLachlan and Nina Tichman not forgetting the first late night Chopin recital by Yuanfan Yang .https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2025/04/14/nina-tichman-bachs-goldberg-alive-and-well-and-safely-grazing-in-palermo/

What a start with a National Treasure to quote Murray McLachlan introducing Martin Roscoe.

It was with the same humility that Steven Osborne entered the scene with the second recital of this opening day.
An eclectic programme ranging from Schumann to Oscar Peterson.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra returned to the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with Josep Pons conducting. Paul Dukas’s ‘La Péri’, Beatrice Rana as the soloist in Rachmaninov’s ‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’, and Bartók’s ballet ‘The Miraculous Mandarin’ with the BBC Singers.

A standing ovation for Beatrice Rana’s poetic performance of Rach Pag at the Proms

Dinara Klinton and I looked at each other with a twinkle in our eye as Beatrice found hidden jewels in the knotty counterpoints in what is usually an ensemble work .The fifteenth was filled with poetic beauty with the elegance and refined delicacy of the sixteenth that illuminated the score as never before . Beatrice unlocked secrets as she said, ‘because she loves it so much’.The ravishing simple beauty of the ‘Tempo di Minuetto ( XII) was interrupted by the magisterial power of the XIII. A wondrous sense of improvisation to the XI with it’s magic streams of whispered notes of gold and silver sounds.What energy she gave to the VIII of a dynamic drive of overpowering authority and it contrasted with the ravishing unexpected beauty of the VI with its beguiling uncertainty. There was a deep brooding to the XVII of ominous foreboding which made the passing of this cloud and the vision of the delicate ravishing simplicity of the famous XVIII so refreshing . It was played with such delicacy and simplicity that the entry of the orchestra and the mighty passionate outpouring together came as an overwhelming surprise, only defused by the scintillating tip toe of notes over the entire keyboard. Building up now to the tumultuous climax and the muscular virtuosity of the piano writing. A slight release of tension after the tumultuous octave cadenza with the XXIV variation of such intricate ensemble of treacherous knotty twine. Beatrice played with unbelievable clarity as she drove together with the orchestra to the overpowering rhythmic climax only to give us the final cheeky ending of teasing simplicity.

The sugar plum fairy alla Pletnev was just the icing on this delectable cake cooked to perfection with mastery and love

Beatrice and her parents celebrating as we all did this unique occasion

Caught in flagrante on the steps of this wondrous monument , as I penned this chronicle of the wondrous gift received within, just minutes earlier.

A little packet from Linn Rothstein has been doing the rounds of Europe for the past two years but finally Simonetta will place it in Beatrice’s precious hands.

Twenty two year old Yichen Yu heading for Warsaw in what looks to be a gladiators fight to the finish

Playing of refined sensibility and a musical intelligence that like Perahia can see things in the score that lay hidden and are only revealed to the blessed few, those with a musical imagination and a technical mastery that is at the service of the composer.

A young man of the stature of Chopin but like the innovative genius of the modern piano has a heart and soul that when needed can roar as loud as any lion. The Waltz op 18 showing from the first notes a refined elegance of delicacy and buoyancy, allowing the music to speak with the beguiling rubato of ‘Les Sylphides.’ There was a refreshing sense of spontaneity and discovery to the Second Ballade. Passionate outbursts but always with a crystalline clarity and the sense of line of a story being told by a true poet of the keyboard.

A wonderful sense of legato to the three Mazurkas op 50 with the poignant beauty and radiance of the last in C sharp minor.

A beautifully expansive opening to the Polonaise-Fantasy with the final vibration placed with gentle care before the Polonaise erupts with a kaleidoscope of colours. Leading to a deeply expansive and poignant central episode before the subtle build up to the tumultuous climax .

The twenty four preludes were certainly not the twenty four problems which Fou Ts’ong was to describe. A very stylish opening of great sensitivity and extraordinary intelligence with a style that was as though discovering this work for the first time . The third prelude like a continuous stream of water on which the melodic line could float. There was a poignant beauty and refined delicacy to the fourth and what magic he brought to the end of the cello melody of the sixth. A disarming simplicity to the shortest of these twenty four gems was followed by the subtle brilliance and controlled passion of the eighth. The ninth was quite sensational, as I have never known the left hand octaves take on such a major role before. It was followed by the fleeting ‘jeux perlé’ of the tenth and the silky legato of the eleventh. Restrained brilliance to the thirteenth but played with a mastery that allowed the music to move inexorably forward to the final dramatic two octaves. A radiant flowing beauty and magical sense of balance to the thirteenth and after the wind blowing quite gently over the graves, we arrived at the sublime simplicity that only a great pianist can bring to such a well worn tone poem as the ‘Raindrop ‘ prelude . Ravishing beauty where even the ominous central episode was never allowed to overwhelm. The sixteenth, that usually strikes terror into the finest of pianists, was played by Yichen with a musicality and rise and fall of the swirling notes sustained by an unrelenting left hand. It lead to the joyous outpouring of the seventeenth . The nineteenth, one of the technically most difficult, was played with an ease and grace where yet again it was the music that was utmost in this poet’s heart and fingers. The final Prelude was played with a power and passion that belied the stature of this young artist.

It was the same passion and dynamic drive that he brought to the Polonaise ‘Héroique’ that he finished his recital with.

I have never heard the notorious march of the cavalry played with such mastery that the octaves disappeared into the background as the bugle call was what interested our young pianist, playing with a seamless legato and a superb sense of balance.

The encore of Chopin’s study op 25 n 7 was played with delicacy and strength with an intelligence full of poetic insights.

A remarkable artist and a true poet of the keyboard .

Realms of gold for the 3rd concert in this remarkable series of Hao Yao’s Classical D International Piano Festival .

Today an eighteen year old Xuanxiang Wu who plays quite simply with the unforgettable golden sound of Gilels.

The actor’s church in Covent Garden was the favourite venue of Sviatoslav Richter, intimate with a perfect acoustic, just a stone’s throw from the Opera House, but if you approach it from the gardens behind it is an oasis of peace and beauty .

All the garden benches dedicated to famous actors,with poetic inscriptions, one of which caught my eye: ‘We shall never look upon his like again’. In this age of fast communications it is so refreshing to see how so few words can mean so much . ‘A life’s work nobly done ‘ might well have described Richter or Gilels or even Sybil Thorndyke, whose plaque with her husband overlooked the piano today. She was a great actress but also an accomplished pianist.

A Young Chang piano donated to the church was just another coincidence that allowed this wonderful Chinese pianist to create sounds that this noble edifice has certainly not heard since Richter.

A young pianist trained in Shanghai conservatory but for the past four years has been accepted by the Junior Juilliard in New York. Now his studies will begin in earnest with Yoheved Kaplinsky ………he will delve deep into the vast piano repertoire ready for a world that will be waiting with open arms for such a great artist.

After a seamless Schubert Wanderer Fantasy, where none of the awkward joins were allowed to disturb the genial invention of a work that was to lead the way for all those that were to follow Schuberts all too short time on earth. A towering performance of Chopin’s study in C sharp minor op 25 n 7, that was like climbing a mountain to survey the world from on high, before returning to the ethereal beauty on earth. Liszt’s ‘Harmonies du Soir’ barely whispered opening with jewels that started to glisten and gleam in its midst until exploding into unimaginable passion .

Beethoven too, with the simple passionate outpouring to ‘Thérèse’ that some say was his mysterious distant beloved.

It was played with a rhythmic precision without any hard edges or ungrateful sounds. It was a masterly outpouring of Beethoven for his love. It was played with the same love and beauty with which it was penned.

The ‘Don Juan’ Fantasy is a famous ‘tour de force’ that strikes terror into any pianist. Not on this occasion, as such was the mastery of our young pianist that he not only played with phenomenal technical control and overwhelming virtuosity. He imbued all he did with a remarkable sense of balance, with radiance and a sense of character that the actual superhuman feats of dexterity were never even thought of. This was Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ brought to life as probably only Liszt himself could have done. Transforming the sedate ladies of the Parisian Salons into a mob of screaming fans.

But this was nothing compared to the absolute perfection of Ravel’s Ondine offered as an encore .

I have never heard such radiance and beauty with the melodic line of that golden sound of Gilels allowing the water nymph her just voice over the swirling water in which she evolved .

A second encore of Chopin’s ‘Aeolian Harp’ op 25 n. 1, brought to mind Sir Charles Halle’s description of Chopin himself playing it on his last visit to England the year before he died .

What a festival and voyage of discovery is opening up in London in these days

Yesterday Yichen Yu with silver in his fingertips and an overwhelming love and mastery in his heart, and now Wu inhabiting the Realms of Gold of Gilels

Tomorrow Xinyuan Wang , bronze prize winner at the Leeds in 2018, at 1 in St Marylebone Church opposite Madame Tussaud’s and at 7 Martin Garcia Garcia, prize winner in Warsaw, in the reborn Bechstein Hall – with a masterclass from 4 o clock onwards

The fourth recital in this remarkable festival of Classical D, bringing some extraordinary Chinese pianist to London in August to astonish and amaze those that choose culture rather than the sun.

After the twenty two Yichen Yu, heading shortly for Warsaw, with the refined sensibility and intelligence of a Perahia.

It was followed by Xuanxiang Wu in St Paul’s Covent Garden. The preferred venue for Richter in later life when he craved anonymity, as he was only the messenger for the Gods that he worshiped.

Not Richter but the Golden sound of Gilels from the hands of this eighteen year old master.

Today it was the turn of Xinyuan Wang , bronze prize winner in Leeds in 2018 , the year Eric Lu won the Gold Medal.

Already a veteran of the Wigmore Hall, but now unjustly neglected in Europe although treated as a God in China .

A musician’s musician that can only be likened to Solomon, Myra Hess or her pupil Stephen Kovacevich.

A programme of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven with encores of Brahms and Schumann. Only allowing himself a ‘Firebird’ finale where Agosti’s miraculous 1928 transcription, sanctioned by Stravinsky, was added to, by a master musician who had looked at the original score and added many details that Agosti had chosen not to include. ‘Augusti’ indeed as the misprint in the programme underlined !

A pianist who not only thinks up from the bass but more particularly using the tenor register (of the thumb and first finger of the left hand ) to add a depth and sonority that indeed reminded me of his illustrious forbears.

It was Schnabel who commented on his programmes having a second half as boring as the first . Schiff too, has pointed out that he sticks with the classical repertoire because one lifetime is not enough to delve deeply into these masterworks and try to find the spark of genius that had created them.

It was exactly this that we heard today .

A Mozart D minor fantasy played with chiselled purity and the subtle inflections of the human voice leading straight into the early D major Sonata, where Mozart’s mischievous ‘joie de vivre’ was turned into sound. Very subtle ornamentation just added to the colour and ebullience of the Genius of Mozart

Beethoven’s ‘Appassionata’ where it was not only the notes that were etched in stone but rests that became the rock on which the work is conceived. The swirls of notes in the first movement were anchored to a bass that I have never heard played with such authority. After a very deliberate but unrelenting last movement the coda just erupted with the frenzy and almost uncontrolled passion of a Serkin.

The four late Schubert impromptus were played, or more correctly recreated, with a simplicity and subtlety that allowed the music to speak as it only can in the hands of a master musician. Annie Fischer, Pires or Brendel spring to mind, as works we have known and loved for a lifetime suddenly appear as new. No gimmicks or personal distortions but music that spoke a language that is only given to truly inspired and dedicated musicians.

The ‘Firebird’ just erupted with a clarity and total authority that when the actual bird was heard hovering in the intoxicating air above the piano, it was so exhilarating and of overwhelming ravishment that you could hear the tension in the hall, even after more than two hours of music. An audience united as one, an all too rare occasion when the genial inspiration of the composer has been transmitted with humility and mastery.

Brahms A major Intermezzo op 118 n.2 was the encore that this master musician offered as an antidote after such exhilaration . It was with the same sound that I remember from the recordings of Myra Hess, who no doubt was hovering above, in the church which is opposite the studio of Uncle Tobbs at the RAM. It is where her bust sits proudly on the staircase as a reminder of the musical values that we must aspire to for all those that enter such a hallowed edifice.

An audience that could not get enough of the music that was evolving from this remarkable artist, was offered another encore ‘perchance to dream ‘. Schumann’s ‘Traumerei’, a dream performance indeed!

London, look what you have missed for too long !

With the passing of Brendel here is the true heir to continue the message of the musical values and integrity that we were privileged to be reminded of for the past sixty years.

Masterclass of Martin Garcia Garcia at Bechstein Hall

Two master students playing Liszt and Chopin, with the Maestro giving them some indications on how to find more character and colour. From the first important question of what picture does the piece conjure up in your imagination?

Both are master pianists as demonstrated in their own recitals in this remarkable festival of Chinese pianists of Classical D of Hao Yao .

But Martin pointed out that they are afraid of showing their emotions and allowing the music to speak. It was this that Martin tried to show them, with phrasing like a bird in flight that must have a beginning and ending, with phrases of one natural movement. And especially of the relaxed flexibility and beauty of the hand and arm like a painter with strokes of a single line.

What is the pedal for ? What is in your mind as you play? A left hand that should be much more flexible and the anchor on which all evolves.

A fascinating glimpse into what can turn a master craftsman into an artist …….but how to do that ? Martin with patience and passionate involvement helped his two colleagues find a path, that he was to demonstrate with such mastery just an hour later, with his own recital .

And after a two hour masterclass there was just time for Martin Garcia Garcia to catch his breath before embarking on a wondrous journey of Schubert Rachmaninov and Liszt .

Ending with the monumental Sonata in B minor that Liszt had dedicated to Schumann as a thank you for his dedication of the C major Fantasy op 17. It is one of the pinnacles of the piano repertoire but it took time for musicians and public to appreciate the innovative genius of Liszt, who thanks to Schubert had created a new art form from the classical sonata of it’s age. Even Clara Schumann, into whose hands the score was given as her husband was already in an asylum, declared it an ugly noise. Brahms famously fell asleep when Liszt was playing it to an enthusiastic Wagner.

The three main themes at the opening are the characters that pervade the sonata and the ‘leit motif’ that is the the life blood of this romantic art form. It is a work full of emotion and scintillating brilliance of ravishing beauty, but it is wrapped in a form that has an architectural, even monumental shape. Even the tumultuous final climax is followed ( Liszt added as a genial afterthought ) by two pages in which the three main themes literally disintegrate before our very eyes . It is, according to Vladimir Ashkenazy, some of the most remarkable music ever written for the piano . The sonata finishes, as it had begun, with whispered notes deep in the bass and just a final B which closes this wondrous journey.

Martin not only understood the shape of the work but he was able to imbue the characters with a striking personality without ever loosing sight of the overall journey that we were embarked on. Amazing feats of transcendental virtuosity, with the final octaves passing from the right to the left hand with a precision and dynamic drive that is rarely heard in the concert hall.

Ravishing beauty too of the Andante Sostenuto and the quasi adagio, that was continued after the passionate intensity of the central episode, where Martin combined control with romantic fervour.

This was the very demonstration that he had shown Xuanxiang Wu earlier in the masterclass .

He was able to combine control and technical mastery whilst reaching an emotional intensity of passionate conviction . There was magic in the air as the climax dissolved into barely whispered scales marked ‘pianississimo!’

Scintillating ‘jeux perlé’ was contrasted with overwhelming feats of burning energy and drive. Nowhere more than in the development section. which miraculously dissolves into ravishing arabesques . Drama of operatic proportions too, with chords hammered out ‘fortississimo’ and ‘pesante’ only to be answered by the improvised radiance of the recitative. A remarkably mature account from a young man with passion in his blood, but it is a passion tempered with maturity that allows for delicacy and sensitivity. A lasting, cherishing love .

It was the same beauty that had preceded the Sonata, with a discovery of a work unknown to me: ‘Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth’ of mellifluous beauty and startling originality . Martin played it with the same ravishing beauty and sumptuous kaleidoscope of sounds that he had brought to the two (of six) Moments Musicaux by Schubert that had opened the programme.

There was delicacy and fantasy to the A flat ‘moment’, and beguiling elegance to the mischievous F minor. This was followed by the complete Moments Musicaux by Rachmaninov op 16.

A feast of an unashamed romantic outpouring, with streams of notes over the entire keyboard . There was a deep brooding nobility to the B minor ( always such a poignant nostalgic key for Rachmaninov ) and the disarming simplicity and poignant outpouring of the fifth. The fourth and sixth were played with overwhelming passion where the glorious sounds of this Bechstein Concert Grand were allowed full reign from the hands and body of this hot blooded Spanish virtuoso.

Two Chopin encores of the First Impromptu op 29 and the Waltz op 42 showed his remarkable natural musicianship. Personality, mastery and intellect are a diabolical combination for an artist of style from the Golden Age of piano playing .

His overwhelming love and mastery showed an obvious enjoyment that shone through all he did, whether masterclass or concert . He truly inhabits that wonderland of Music

A Masterclass with Martin Garcia Garcia at Muzz Shah’s Grand Passion Piano Salon.

A tour of Pleyel pianos and the difference between Pleyel and Erard or Steinway expertly explained in this oasis of refined elegance that has been created with love, passion and expertise by Muzz Shah in Newman Street

Another fascinating glimpse from Maestro Garcia Garcia , into what goes to make up an artist .

Talent of course, but also hard work and serious preparation .

How to articulate with the fingers and how to use your whole arm with relaxed horizontal movements.

Feeling the weight of the keys with bird like movement from below .

And above all sing with a voice of spontaneity and freedom.

An inspiring lesson from a real artist, for those with ears to appreciate it.

Tropical heat in London but in St Marylebone Church there was a different sort of heat generated by ravishingly beautiful piano playing from a great artist. To quote the distinguished pianist Alberto Portugheis : ‘Apart from being a great pianist I find that every pore of his skin and cell of his body breathes music’. It was exactly this that ignited the atmosphere in this church that sits opposite Madame Tussaud’s and the Royal Academy.

A Polonaise-Fantasy of Chopin that was very subdued and more fantasy than polonaise, but of such beauty that from the very opening chords one wanted this curtain opener never to stop. Each note of these reverberations spread over the entire keyboard with a voice that only Caballé could have matched. A distant roll of the drums and the polonaise is born, but this is the genius Chopin at the end of his life where every note of every counterpoint was of radiance and beauty. The throbbing of the polonaise could be heard throughout but it was more the throbbing of the heart than the cavalry of the previous Polonaise Hérioque. A voluptuously luxuriant central episode brought us back to the magic of the opening . This time, though, the paper was ignited that gradually caught fire under Martin’s masterly control until bursting into the glorious final outpouring of exhilaration and nobility. Of course dying away to a whisper where Martin, too, understood the architectural shape of this genial construction as he struck the final chords with velvet gloves, perchance to dream.

One of Chopin’s last and greatest works but Martin had a surprise in store today. Having played the Liszt Sonata and Moments Musicaux by Schubert and Rachmaninov together with a rare work by Liszt ‘Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth’ , to a rapturous reception at the reborn Bechstein Hall. I was astonished to see today’s programme with Chopin’s very early first sonata , that I have never seen on concert programmes before. Followed by Mompou’s Chopin Variations equally rarely heard. Not the bombastic variations by Busoni or Rachmaninov on the C minor prelude but variations on Chopin’s shortest and most graceful prelude in A , not surprisingly used for the Ballet ‘Les Sylphides’ and just right for Mompou to transport us into his wonderland of whispered sonorities.

Three pieces from the fantastic world of Albeniz’s Iberia had us stamping our heels and clicking our fingers as Martin’s infectious Spanish hot blooded passion truly ignited the hall and almost finished our valiant hero off after over two hours of sublime music making.

Chopin’s first sonata op 4 I have only heard once in public fifty years ago just over the road at the Royal Academy. Shura Cherkassky who lived just a stone’s throw away at the White House in Portland Place had been persuaded to play in the morning to the students.It was followed by other great pianists including Magaloff and Perlemuter ! Shura was obviously in taciturn mood as he played all three Chopin Sonatas one after the other, with hardly any pedal and without his kaleidoscope of colours for which he was legendary and that he had left at home that day ! Ashkenazy plays it on his complete Chopin recordings as does Martino Tirimo on his imminent complete Chopin. Martino is and honorary member of the Chopin Society UK where Martin had included it in his all Chopin programme for the official launch of the Chopin Competition 2025. He was very happy to hear it being played in public and was very pleased to discuss it with me . Written in 1828, when Chopin was 18 and a student of Józef Elsner, to whom the sonata is dedicated. Despite being one of his earliest works, the sonata was not published until 1851 by Tobias Haslinger in  Vienna, two years after Chopin’s death.The Sonata op 4 compared to the other two masterpieces op 35 and 58 can seem very ungrateful on the written page. Martin proved today how appearances can be deceptive when one is in the hands of a poet of the keyboard with a technical mastery and kaleidoscope of sounds that can turn what seem baubles into gems. We were astonished today to hear such a beautiful outpouring of Bel Canto with Martin steering us through this youthful work and making sense of Chopin’s knotty twine, finding a sense of line with a superb sense of balance and a beguiling rhythmic drive. He even chose to follow Chopin’s repeats where he filled the music with even more sense of style. A development that was even knottier, as Chopin, the student ,was fast overtaking his teacher with the genius that was to shine through all he did. A development where Chopin’s brilliance as a pianist is obvious too, with moments of technical complexity but always under an umbrella of sound that gave such cohesion to seemingly pointless meanderings.

Martin gave us the same sense of architectural shape that he had brought to his performances recently of Rachmaninov’s early first sonata also much misunderstood. What an extraordinary ending to the first movement, after tumultuous octaves a final nonchalant aside! Chopin’s only Minuet ,they tell me, but what charm and magical sounds of radiance Martin brought to it with jewels shining in the dark. A trio in E flat minor of strangely fragmented music brought us back with relief to the plodding insistence of the minuet. A ‘Larghetto’ played with great concentration and intensity, but which seemed to have all the ingredients of Chopin’s Bel Canto but without that absolute genial inspiration that was to inspire his op 9 Nocturnes and show the voice of absolute genius.A Finale marked Presto, two in a bar , and at 18 pages by far the longest and most intricate of the movements. It was played with quite extraordinary brilliance and dynamic drive. The throbbing melodic line being developed into an intricate web of brilliance, showing the pianistic genius that was about to create a new world for the modern piano of the day with pedals.This was the Chopin who had burst onto the scene in Paris with his op 2 and had inspired Schumann to declare: ‘ Hats off,Gentlemen, a Genius’. Martin showed us too his pianistic genius, that could shape such an outpouring of notes into a cohesive shape with a sense of style and a range of colours that was quite extraordinary. Martin ,in all he does, played with the same love and passion that he does every time he touches the keys, and after such a ‘tour de force’ we were happy to have a break to allow him and us to recover from such a voyage of discovery.

The variations on a Theme by Chopin is a large work imbued with that wondrous sound world that inspired so many miniature atmospheric pieces for the piano. In Martin it has found the ideal interpreter bringing to life a composer much neglected not say even denigrated by some! Guido Agosti ,a prodigy of Busoni, who held court for over thirty years in Siena ,once took the music of a piece by Mompou and put it in the waste paper basket saying to his very fine student ,’Now play me some music’! If only he could have heard Martin today! An improvised beauty with sounds of a fluidity and subtle radiance of playing of horizontal sounds rarely reaching mezzo forte or with ungrateful accents . A magical variation for the left hand and a jeux perlé variation of fleeting brilliance. Martin’s playing of Chopin’s theme alla Mompou will long be remembered as a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Long drawn out variations similar to Fauré were played with intense concentration and extraordinary communication .

La Vega, El Polo and Lavapiés, three pieces from Albeniz’s Iberia played with mysterious fluidity with glistening echos of distant dreams. Melodic lines etched in sumptuous gold with pointed fingers of extraordinary sensitivity and the joyous outpouring of the radiant heat of Spain.

Martin had played with inspired artistry and total commitment for over two hours of intense music making but he still had time to greet the many admirers who wanted to meet the man who had share such a wondrous journey with them

An amazing performance by this legendary 84 year old American born pianist who perfected his art in Italy with Renata Borgatti and Carlo Zecchi. Transferred permanently to Italy for almost sixty years he has created The International Piano Academy, Lake Como, of which the President is his close friend Martha Argerich. Born in the same year, it must have been quite a vintage year, as both Martha and Bill are astonishing and ravishing audiences world wide as never before! A teacher of many of the finest young musicians before the public today he has just returned from China and Korea where he is much sought after for his musical pedigree and insights. He spends most summers in Siena , where he receives privately a few carefully selected talented students in his studio. It was the enlightened Artistic Director of the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Nicola Sani, who had thought to convince William Naboré to play in the prestigious Palace of Count Chigi where many of the greatest musicians have flocked for the Summer months since the 1930’s, to share ideas amongst master musicians. Having just played this recital in Korea ,amazingly without the score , which is his latest CD to be released shortly. I have known ‘Bill’ for the past fifty years and shared many of the artists who played in my Euromusica season in Rome with his Academy in Como. Artists that included Rosalyn Tureck, Moura Lympany, Fou Ts’ong ,Peter Frankl and Steven Kovacevich. He had set up ten years after I had opened a theatre with my wife in Rome where I invited many of the greatest musicians to play in Rome ,some for the first time , having by a strange twist of fate strangely been ignored in Italy. By coincidence my wife, Ileana Ghione, I had met in Siena, when I was helping my teacher’s wife Lydia Stix Agosti with her course ‘Da Schoenberg ad oggi’.

Bill had asked me to listen to the rough proof of this recording which I was very honoured to do. He had recorded it mostly in one take and it was perfect and crystal clear with impeccable musicianship and technical mastery. There was really nothing to edit and I believe this is the recording that will appear in the Autumn.It was obviously the same performance that he gave publicly in the ‘legends’ series in the Chigiana International Music Festival which in his own modest words was an unexpected success :

‘The concert was an amazing success. It was sold out and many came back stage afterwards and said it was a life changing experience!! I have been stopped in the streets by students who were at the concert saying they had never heard similar, especially the SOUND!’

Ciao Bill,
Yesterday was truly a wonderful evening, and you gave a memorable concert!
Thanks again for your amazing and passionate performance.
Un abbraccio ,
Nicola Sani, Artistic Director of the Chigiana Academy.

1. Johann Sebastian Bach/Johannes Brahms:

     Five Studies Anh. 1a/1. V Chaconne for the left hand (after the violin partita n. 2. in d minor BWV 1004)

2. Johann Sebastian Bach/Rafael Joseffy:

Gavotte en Rondeau transcribed from the Lute Suite in E major BWV 1006a

Carl Reinecke:

     Sonata for the pianoforte for the left hand in C minor. Op. 179

3. Allegro moderato

4. Andante lento “Nemenj rozsam a tarlora”

5. Menuetto Moderato 

6. Finale Allegro molto

Alexander Scriabine for the left hand 

7. Prelude op. 9 n.1

8. Nocturne op. 9 n.2

Leopold Godowsky for the left hand

9. Elegy

10. Prelude on the name of BACH 

Programme notes written by William Naboré for the recording of imminent release:

The absolute masterpiece in this collection of works for the left hand is the work of Brahms based on the Chaconne of Bach.
Contrary to what most people surmise, Brahms never described his work as a transcription but as a study for the left hand based on the Chaconne of Bach.
In fact, Brahms only discovered the Chaconne of Bach at the age of 44 in 1877.
In a letter at the time to Clara Schumann “Brahms wrote:

“The Chaconne is, in my opinion, one of the most wonderful and most incomprehensible pieces of music.
Using the technique adapted to a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and  most powerful feelings. If I could picture myself writing, or even conceiving such a piece, I am certain that the extreme excitement and emotional tension would have driven me mad. If one has no supremely great violinist at hand, the most exquisite of joys is probably simply to let the Chaconne ring in one’s mind but the piece certainly inspires one to occupy oneself with it somehow… There is only one way in which I can secure undiluted joy from the piece on a small and only appropriate scale, and that is when I play it
with the left hand alone.The same difficulty, the nature of the technique, the rendering of the arpeggios everything that conspires to make me feel like a violinist!”
Hence the genesis of the Bach/Brahms Chaconne Study for the Left Hand.

However, before going further, a word about the origin of the Chaconne, Bach’s longest single instrumental
work.
The Chaconne is said to have been imported into Spanish culture in the sixteenth century as a lively dance that originated from Latin America. By the 18th century the Chaconne had become in Europe a slow triple meter instrumental form. Obviously, Bach had not forgotten it was originally a dance.
The Chaconne of Bach was composed between 1717 -20, and it is said, in grieving memory of his first wife, Maria Barbara, who died while he was absent on a trip. In this sprawling and monumental work Bach expresses a depth and variety of feelings rarely encountered in music.
Brahms’ exuberant embrace of every note of Bach’s score is evident in his masterly study. This is not a transcription but a celebration of the highest order.
By transposing the score an octave down, Brahms is able to expand the range of the original while enriching the pianistic possibilities considerably.
Brahms also gives interpretive indications in his study that are most astute and effective yet he also
respects the Baroque practices that were known in his time.
The Chaconne is a series of variations on a repeated series of chords. It is the connection between these variations which make any interpretation of this particular realization of Bach’s Chaconne a supreme challenge.

Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938) was one of the world’s greatest pianists. He was held in the highest esteem in his lifetime by public, critics and public alike.
The astonishing thing is that he was largely self-taught. His point of pride, however, was his amazing technique which even his most famous colleagues envied and admired. He was considered the “Buddha” of the piano. Arthur Rubinstein said it would have taken him 500 years to acquire a piano technique like that
of Godowsky. He was also an important pedagogue who taught in many of the important institutions
around the world (Berlin, Vienna, New York, etc.) but after a particularly nomadic life finally settled down in New York after the First World War.
He was also an important and innovative composer, notably for the piano. Ferruccio Busoni said that himself and Godowsky were the only ones to have added anything of significance to keyboard writing since Franz Liszt. 
Godowsky is best known for his transcriptions and paraphrases of other composers which are of a
diabolical difficulty. Even today, only the most intrepid pianists venture to play them. His most famous work in the genre is his 53 Studies on Chopin Etudes. But he is also called the “King of the Left Hand” as he wrote a sizable number of works exclusively for the left hand which include paraphrases of other composers and
original works.
It is, however, in the original works where Godowsky really shines as a great composer. I have chosen two his pieces of great beauty for this recording.
The Elegy for the left hand composed in 1929 is one of the most poignant and moving expressions of grief in music while the Prelude on BACH is one of the most exuberant!

The Gavotte en rondeau for solo violin is the third movement from the third Partita in E major (BWV 1006), the last work in a series of sonatas and partitas (BWV 1001 -1006) Bach composed around 1720. It is one of
Bach’s most popular smaller works and has been transposed for innumerable instruments including the marimba!
However, Bach himself made a transcription for the Lute as a suite (BWV 1006a) which in itself has
spawned countless other transcriptions, notably for the guitar. The modern piano is no exception and
probably the most well-known take on the piece is a pastiche of the entire suite by Rachmaninov which is a favorite of some pianists today.
However, a transcription for left hand on the piano is a rarity. 
Rafael Joseffy, a brilliant Hungarian pianist (1852-1915) and pupil of Franz Liszt who settled in the United States made a faithful transcription of the lute transcription of Bach which was published in New York in 1888.
This is the transcription used for this recording.

In 1892, at the age of 20, Scriabin damaged his right hand (overuse syndrome) while practicing relentlessly Liszt’s Reminiscences of Don Juan and Islamey by Balakirev in an intense rivalry with his fellow student, Josef Lhevinne at the Moscow Conservatory. He immediately turned to composition to vent his rage and composed his first sonata, op.6 as a “cry against God and fate!
He eventually fully recovered the use of his right hand and, although he had a brilliant career as a concert pianist, he was always wary and fretful of his right hand. 
In 1894, Scriabin made his debut as a concert pianist in St. Petersburg and in the same year composed the Prelude and Nocturne, op. 9 as a result of concentrating his virtuosity on his left hand. 
It is interesting to note that Scriabin had small hands (he could barely stretch a 9th), but wrote piano works that require a broad span, especially in the left hand as we can witness in the Prelude and Nocturne, op. 9. Scriabin and Rachmaninov (who had huge hands) were classmates at the Moscow Conservatory and had a
complex and sometimes contentious relationship with during their careers, and esthetically, even if they didn’t always agree, they were close friends. Rachmaninov was a pallbearer at Scriabin’s funeral and played only Scriabin’s works in concert for one whole year after his death.
 Scriabin was much closer to Chopin in his early years yet Rachmaninov always venerated Tschaikovsky. The Prelude and Nocturne op. 9 of Scriabin are close to the traditional romantic tradition to which Rachmaninov always adhered. However, the individual voice of Scriabin can be fully heard here. 
The Prelude and Nocturne are some of the loveliest works of early Scriabin and have always been a concert favorite.

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) is one of those “forgotten” mid era Romantic composers who was born in Denmark and became one of the most influential musicians of his time. In 1843, he settled in Leipzig where he became part of a group of musicians that included Schumann, Mendelssohn and Friedrich Wieck.
Although as a youth, he was a formidable violinist, he later became an equally formidable pianist and
became a widely sought after professor of composition and piano at the Leipzig Conservatory. His students included Grieg, Janacek, and Albeniz. He was also a notable interpreter of Mozart piano Concerti of which he wrote several cadenzas.
It is a mystery that a composer of such a renown in his lifetime was forgotten so quickly after his death. 
This is probably due to the fact that his style never evolved over the years and he was composing in 1910 exactly like he did in 1843!
That said, his compositional output is enormous and, in all genres, and combinations of instruments and it is not surprising that he even composed a sonata for left hand, op. 179 in 1884.
In fact, the left-hand Piano Sonata of Reinecke is one of those hidden gems of the Romantic
piano repertoire, and a real masterpiece! 
The first movement is troubled, mysterious yet forceful with a beguiling second theme.
The second movement, based on a Hungarian folksong “My love, do not enter a field that has been harvested” is also a most beautiful work.
The third movement, Menuetto, is more of a Valse-Caprice with a charming and lilting Intermezzo.
The finale, a fiery, virtuoso tour de force rounds out the sonata in heroic style.

Having heard Aristo Sham and Kevin Chen recently at Duszniki I was fascinated to hear also Boris Giltburg. Maestro Paleczny has such a line up for his festival that unfortunately time to hear them all on their superb streaming is just not possible during the summer months. However I was very interested to hear Boris Giltburg, an established artist and a house favourite at London’s Wigmore Hall, with recordings of Rachmaninov Concerti that have been very highly praised. I recently was at a masterclass for the Beethoven Society at the Reform club in London and was very impressed by his musicianship and simplicity but above all his absolute respect for the score allied to a technical mastery that could find colours and subtle shadings that seemed to elude his young colleagues. 

Drama and nobility combined in the ninth and the tenth was thrown off with charm and humour.The dramatic intensity of the hard driven twelfth was relieved by the rustic mazurka rhythm that Boris found hidden within. A languid flowing beauty to the thirteenth was answered by the searing momentary intensity of the fourteenth.There was a radiance and lightness to his ‘raindrop’ ,fifteenth, with a brooding troubled intensity to the central episode played with crane like movements of his arms that gave a dramatic rhythmic punch to this extraordinarily evocative Prelude. Almost jumping off the seat for the tumultuous opening flourish of the sixteenth which he went on to dispatch with enviable mastery and breathtaking precision, the phrases swelling as they rose and fell with excitement and exhilaration. The seventeenth entered immediately with its flowing luxuriant beauty with the deep bass notes creating a magical atmosphere on which the melodic line was allowed to sleep walk in this wondrous landscape. A very slow unwinding of the cadenza flourish of the eighteen build up in intensity until the final chiselled notes were driven home with burning vigour deep in the bass. Beauty and radiance of the nineteenth showed no sign of the technical difficulty of this prelude as Boris shaped the melodic line with refined good taste and style. The mighty twentieth in C minor, used by Rachmaninov and Busoni as a basis for variations ,was played very slowly and deliberately with an enviable control of sound.We held our breath as the sounds became ever more whispered. A beautiful radiance to the melodic line of the twenty first was interrupted by the melodic entry of the octaves deep in the bass of the twenty second. A refreshing fluidity of the twenty third was played with great restraint until a pause before the dynamic passionate intensity of the final heroic explosion of transcendental drive leading to the final three inexorable ‘D’s ‘ deep in the bass. This was a quite extraordinary performance of the elusive preludes where Boris was able to give an architectural shape to the whole whilst giving such character to each one.

The opening of the B flat minor Sonata immediately demonstrated the power and nobility that Boris was to imbue to this remarkable work. Like a great opera singer or actor entering the scene with an overwhelming physical presence that immediately caught our attention as the ‘doppio movemento’ unfolded with agitated brilliance. The debate of whether or where to repeat the exposition was dismissed by Boris by entering immediately the development with Chopin’s extraordinary inventive mastery combining the two main themes in a question and answer that was to explode with passionate vehemence. There was the same aristocratic control that I remember from Rubinstein which like him made the exhilarating accelerando towards the final chord even more breathtaking. A ‘Scherzo’ played with fearless abandon and extraordinary mastery only interrupted by the disarming simplicity of the Trio which in the coda was allowed all the time necessary to unwind with the final two bass notes played with a whispered barely audible pizzicato.The scene was set for the desolate stillness of the Funeral March that was played with a rich palette of harmonic sounds with the Trio of a barely whispered radiance glistening over a masterly controlled left hand wave of sounds. ‘The wind over the graves’ of Chopin’s extraordinarily original last movement was played with a clarity and phrased as rarely heard in lesser hands giving such an intense musical line before the final majestic chord.

The Fourth Ballade and Scherzo were given masterly performances. The Ballade, from the whispered radiance of the opening where the variations were allowed to unfold so naturally gradually increasing in intensity and transcendental difficulty. All played with superbly phrased passages but with a forward movement that was to take us to the explosion of undulating waves of sound and dramatic enigmatic chords. A coda that was the romantic outpouring of a disturbed soul and genial master of contrapuntal pianistic flourishes. A quite extraordinary mastery and control was tinged with the burning sense of excitement that only live performance can add.

The Fourth Scherzo too was played with masterly control and ravishing beauty. The jeux perlé thrown off with golden sounds that just embroidered Chopin’s genial melodic invention. A flowing luxuriant beauty to the central episode that was allowed to unfold with radiance and poignant beauty before the exhilaration and excitement of the final glorious pages. I would have expected a spontaneous standing ovation usually lead by Maestro Paleczny but although three glorious encores were requested and shouts of approval were heard from the back of the hall the audience remained stubbornly and surprisingly seated.

Encores that had included Rachmaninov’s ravishingly beguiling Polka to WR, an exquisite Chopin study op 25 n. 5 and an extraordinarily agile Rachmaninov Prelude op 25 n. 5 . All played with the mastery and musical intelligence that had been then hallmark of some of the finest performances of these masterworks that I have ever heard. Could it be, as I had indicated before that the use of the I pad whilst allowing me to enjoy the live stream did not have the same emotional impact in the hall that one would have expected. However ‘Hats off’ to an extraordinary musician who with or without an aide memoire is one of the finest pianists before the public today.

Some remarkable playing from a pianist who I have heard many times over the past few years, but the absolute mastery and intellectual authority that he has shown since playing in Fort Worth has astounded me. A very talented young man of an intelligence that allowed him to graduate from some of the finest institutions starting with Harrow in England and finishing at Harvard in America. I had heard him when he played Mozart A major concerto at a school concert in Harrow and later at the Music fair that is held every year in Cremona in preparation, via the Fazioli studio, for International Competitions. Very fine intelligent playing but somehow he could not see the wood for the trees. Chopin Mazurkas that were exquisite but the Sonata in B flat minor was missing an overall sense of architectural shape. Since then he has gone on to study with that magnificent trainer of pianists, Robert McDonald who has liberated all the musical values that have been bestowed on him by his other illustrious teachers ( above all the remarkable Eleanor Wong in early studies in Hong Kong ).McDonald who was the assistant to Leon Fleisher at Curtis that I heard from some of his students about the gruelling training that he insisted on giving them as a basis of authority and keyboard mastery, born of hours of hard work! Curzon exclaimed that playing the piano was 90% hard work and 10% talent – Rubinstein had something famously to say about that too https://youtu.be/gex0sOR7XZ0?feature=shared

Aristo has an impeccable musical pedigree and intelligence, but now he has a towering authority and absolute mastery that allow him to express himself with simplicity and humility.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) / Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943) Partita in E major from the violin suite BWV 1006 (1720) Preludio , Gavotte and Gigue. There was a crystalline clarity to his playing with a dynamic drive of brilliance and jewel like perfection. The Gavotte was played with charm and elegance but above all the beauty of the melodic line shone out like light shining on a prism. The knotty twine of the Gigue was played with incredible clarity and a rhythmic drive that was within the very notes themselves .An inner energy and forward propulsion allied to a clarity of vision that was to be the hallmark of all he played.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) / Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924) Chaconne from the Partita n 2 in D minor for violin BWV 1004 (1720). The very first time I heard this work was a recording of Michelangeli, whose perfection and sumptuous beauty of sound was an inspiration not only for me but for generations of pianists that followed. I have heard many pianists play it since, including Rubinstein with his inimitable aristocratic nobility and beauty. Today I heard a performance that was of such perfection that it was hard to believe that I was watching a live stream performance. Opening the chaconne with two hands ( something his innate musicianship would not allow him to do in the ‘Hammerklavier’ ) because he was searching for a piercing clarity with a sense of purity and at the same time simplicity. There was a poignant noble beauty that pervaded the whole of this remarkable performance.The octaves entered like a whispered wind that gradually grew in intensity adding an inner tension and a noble sense of exhilaration. There was a relentless sense of line and forward movement no matter what hurdles Busoni throws in the path of Bach. We were caught up in a continual wave of sounds that fearlessly enveloped all in its path. There were moments of absolute stillness and calm with a ravishing kaleidoscope of sounds that strangely were not preceded by silences but rather by masterly changes of colour. This was a true ‘tour de force’ of musicianship and mastery and was a wonderful way to open a concert, declaring so openly his complete dedication to the masters he was serving.

Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1849) Nocturne in C minor op. 48 nr 1 (1841) Ballade F minor op. 52 (1842–1843). Of course in Duszniki Chopin is ‘de rigueur’ and what better than one of the true pinnacles of the pianistic repertoire with the Fourth Ballade and the longest of his twenty one nocturnes. The Nocturne in C minor op 48 is a miniature tone poem and was played by Aristo with the same burning intensity and sense of architectural shape that I remember from Fou Ts’ong, who could give such strength and meaning to Chopin’s extraordinary bel canto. There was a luminosity and fluidity with a superb sense of balance and a subtle shaping of phrases that was so disarmingly simple that it was quite breathtaking in its originality. Passion and beauty combining with poetry and nobility. An intensity to the final outpouring that was quite overwhelming in its impact as this masterpiece was brought to life with such vibrant beauty.

There was no break between these two Chopin works that were an oasis of ravishing colours and a lesson in simplicity and intelligence. A beautiful theme unwound with a flowing tempo of tender poetic beauty with each variation evolving so naturally. Leading to the return of the murmured opening which with ‘un sentiment de regret ‘ was allowed to take flight with a very slow and delicate cadenza.There followed an intricate knotty counterpoint and the passionate build up to the great emotional climax, with its wave of arpeggios sweeping across the keys like a tidal wave of passionate declamations. A coda that just flew from his fingers but with a musical shape and dynamic drive that swept all before it until the final imperious chords. This was Chopin playing of great authority and musicianship but above all of intelligence and humility with no traditional extravagances or personal interventions. This was the rock on which Chopin stood with aristocratic nobility and pride.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Sonata in B flat op. 106 „Hammerklavier” (1817–1818) Allegro – Scherzo. Assai vivace – Adagio sostenuto Introduction . Largo – Fugue: Allegro risoluto. A monumental performance that I remember hearing together with Brahms Second Concerto and Ravel Gaspard at the Cliburn. The ‘Hammerklavier’ gave the impression that it was even more impressive now, but that may just be because taking away the pressure of the circus arena may have allowed me to concentrate more fully on this quite extraordinary performance. It was bursting with energy from the very first imperious declamations that were fearlessly played by a musician who could transmit the burning intensity and irascible impatience of Beethoven, but also the poetic soul hidden deep within the notes of a composer who had suffered such a turbulent life. There was an absolute clarity of thought and execution with a sense of orchestral colour that was of a radiant purity and originality. Even in the Scherzo there was a certain grace but tempered by menace or the demons that were ever present in Beethoven’s world.Suddenly being chased across the keyboard with extraordinary dynamic drive from Artisto, only to be greeted by an impatient full stop before continuing as if nothing had happened at all. The ‘Adagio sostenuto’ was played with remarkable concentration and some truly whispered wonders and if it missed the burning intensity of Serkin it gained in its inner simplicity and deeply felt weight. There was a quiet ravishing beauty to the introduction or transition before a fugue that I have never heard played with such clarity and burning rhythmic drive. I have heard many great pianists play this monumental edifice including Richter, Serkin,Brendel,Pollini and Annie Fischer but rarely have I heard such pianistic perfection or musical intelligence as today from this young man.

The Brahms Intermezzo op 117 n. 1 was a gentle antidote to the searing emotions of Beethoven and was played with a disarming simplicity and once again a simple musicianship of radiance and sensitivity.

a marvel of deft characterization and sophisticated interaction with the orchestra. – The Dallas Morning News

…with purpose, direction, structural awareness, technical finesse and mature artistry. – Gramophone

Pianist Aristo Sham exudes astounding intellect and a deep emotional resonance; a cultivated sophistication and an immediately engaging presence; a penchant to take on the great monuments of the piano repertoire and a natural, infectious spontaneity. This makeup is fueled by a fascination with the world and its rich cultures: he was an international prodigy, is a voracious student of wide-ranging interests, and currently splits his time between three continents.  

At the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Aristo found his breakthrough moment, taking home both the gold medal and the audience award at “one of the most prestigious contests in classical music” (The New York Times, June 2022). And the critics showered him with imaginative praise, calling him “a marvel of deft characterization,” “consistently authoritative,” “a card-carrying risk taker,” “a dapper, aristocratic figure on stage,” “a pianist I look forward to hearing again” (The Dallas Morning News, Gramophone, Texas Classical Voice). In just two months’ time, he was mentioned in more than 800 news articles, and his Cliburn performance videos were streamed 2 million times across 125 countries.  

Aristo was featured in the 2009 documentary The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies on Channel 4 (UK), has performed for royalty including King Charles, and was hailed by The New York Times in 2020 as an artist “whose playing combines clarity, elegance and abundant technique.” He has concertized across Asia, Europe, and the United States, with major highlights including the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart, English Chamber Orchestra under the late Sir Raymond Leppard, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and Minnesota Orchestra. His 2025–2026 debut season as Cliburn winner includes a major tour of Asia through South Korea and China, and U.S. recitals for Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society/The Conrad, UCSB Arts and Lectures, and the Skyline Piano Artist Series at Northwestern University. 

Recently, he recorded and hosted the complete Brahms solo piano music on RTHK4, Classical Radio in Hong Kong. Upcoming seasons will see the release of two albums on Platoon: a Cliburn live release, as well as his debut studio album.  

Aristo Sham’s mother taught piano in their Hong Kong home, so he says: “I was enveloped in the environment of the piano even before I was born.” His parents recall his immense curiosity towards the instrument when he was a toddler and started him in lessons when he was 3. At the age of 10, he began competing and concertizing. But he also went to regular schools, never making the conscious decision to focus solely on the piano or his other studies; this made the dual degree program at Harvard and the New England Conservatory a perfect fit when he went to college. Aristo holds a Bachelors in Economics from Harvard University and a Masters in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory. His principal teachers include Eleanor Wong, Colin Stone, Victor Rosenbaum, and Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist, and has been mentored by Gabriela Montero. He finished his Bachelor of Arts at Harvard in 2019 and master’s at NEC under Victor Rosenbaum in 2020. He then went to the Ingesund School of Music in Sweden to study with Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist before returning to the States to earn an artist diploma at The Juilliard School with Robert McDonald and Orli Shaham. In addition to the Cliburn, he’s a laureate of international competitions, with first-prize wins at Young Concert Artists, Ettlingen, Gina Bachauer, and Monte Carlo Music Masters. 

http://www.michael-moran.com/2025/07/duszniki-zdroj-international-chopin.html?m=1

Bella e brava che non guasta, as we await the most famous concerto ever written from her magic hands ……Costanza Principe is back in town to illuminate the Eternal City with Tchaikowsky. It was with the subtle poetic playing of a true musician who can shape this well worn war horse into a radiance and beauty that it must have had when the ink was still wet on the page. An artist who looks at the score and with a kaleidoscope of colours and technical mastery can shape such well known phrases into a vibrant musical conversation of great originality.

Leaning on the inner notes of chords to give more depth to the sound and with arpeggios stretched to the limit, for which the very attentive conductor was only too happy to wait for the final delicate caress from his dancing partner for the evening. There was a romantic sweep to Tchaikovsky’s long lines in which both piano and orchestra were united under the expert guidance of Maestro Caldi. The second subject of the first movement was played with the same innocence and languid timeless beauty that she was to bring to her Schumann encore -with a scene of childhood that is too easy for children but too elusive for adults. There was a freshness to Costanza’s playing that made one listen with special ears ready to capture moments of rare delicacy or even overwhelming passion. Costanza is a poet but with the muscles of a giant.The great octave passages that abound in this concerto, so scared the life out of Anton Rubinstein that he refused to play it. Hans von Bulow the faithful son in law of Wagner, fearless, like Costanza tonight ,was not afraid of the challenge that Tchaikowsky demands from his soloists whether piano ,violin, cello or even more dance! On occasion the love and need of prolonging beauty can lead to lack of dynamic drive ,nowhere more than in the cadenza, but it is a small price to pay for such ravishment and intimacy compared to the militia who too often present this concerto as a war horse to be conquered!

Caldi started the ‘Andantino’ much too slow but Costanza together with her colleagues Antonio Troncone,flute and Angelo Maria Santisi,cello soon found the perfect tempo and were justly awarded a special applause by the conductor at the end.

The final Allegro con fuoco rang around this beautiful new summer venue with the same glorious impact that I remember as a child hearing resound around the Royal Albert Hall .They were special Tchaikowsky evenings presented by Victor Hochhauser and we were missing tonight only the 1812 Overture with the canons that used to be fired from the gallery overhead. Canons unfortunately getting closer and closer these days and it is good to find an oasis, especially in the Eternal City, where beauty and mutual anticipation still reigns. A very occasional plane straying from its flight path was the only interruption or minor irritation that reminded us of the world that awaits outside these magical gates.

Costanza awarded an ovation, was happy to share with us a timelessly delicate encore from Schumann’s ‘Kinderszenen’. ‘Of foreign lands and peoples’. An encore that she played slowly with beguiling timeless beauty as she stretched the phrases with poetic fantasy and intimate rapture.( It is the preferred encore of another great lady virtuoso Martha Argerich)

Costanza was paired with her equally beautiful and accomplished colleague Maria Andreeva. A first movement of the violin concerto that is a tour de force for a violinist but also a poetic outpouring that Maria played with passionate commitment and subtle beauty. A cadenza that showed off her technical prowess but always with the character and poetry of a true artist. The Canzonetta was played with ravishing beauty and a stillness that created a magic atmosphere that was only interrupted by the Allegro vivacissimo bursting onto the scene with dynamic drive and sumptuous rich sounds.

Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the encore that I am sure the very enthusiastic audience would have demanded from this magnificent young artist.

Two of the most loved concerti by Tchaikovsky in a dream team under the reins of Massimiliano Caldi with Valerio Vicari’s magnificent Roma 3 Orchestra .

What a way to finish this month of sumptuous music making in this oasis of peace and tranquility, whilst all around the Eternal city is taken by siege by visitors wanting to share in the beauty that only Rome can radiate.

Magnificent performances of beauty and radiance, visual and audial. A magic carpet of sounds descended on Rome to seduce and ravish an audience too often treated to bombastic amplification. Next week the ‘Emperor’ of Roberto Prosseda awaits for the final concert of this summer season that has shared with Rome eight mono thematic concerts dedicated to Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Verdi, Schumann,Tchaikowsky and finally Beethoven in Emperor’s clothing!

True secrets are shared with whispered subtlety for those that still have ears able to appreciate the vibrant message of beauty, without confines, that only music can portray.

Giovedì 7 agosto 2025 / Venerdì 8 agosto 2025 ore 20.30, Convitto Vittorio Locchi, via Carlo Spinola 11

Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto per pianoforte n. 5 “Imperatore”; Sinfonia n. 5

Roberto Prosseda, pianoforte

Marco Boni, direttore

The final concert in this series was dedicated to Beethoven – The Emperor Concerto and Fifth Symphony .Sorry to miss this especially as Roberto Prosseda was the soloist