ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary

A tour de force from Cédric Tiberghien with a memorable performance of the Diabelli variations
No I pad or other extraneous aide memoires as this was a man possessed by the spirit of Beethoven living every moment with total dedication and devotion

It was a very French Diabelli of the school of Sancon or Boulez with absolute rhythmic precision and scrupulous attention to the composers indications with sharp clean sounds of knife edge precision. This is not the school of Cortot or Perlemuter with the weight and depth of sound of fingers like limpets sucking the sounds deeply out of the keys with a rich full warmth.

There was no warmth today but instead the cold precision that allowed Beethoven to appear in a Boulezian guise .It was ‘music absolute’ shorn of any niceties or traditional vices .It was Beethoven naked infront of us and it was what kept us enthralled and riveted to our seats as rarely before.
Serkinian hysterisms of Brendelian mannerisms were all forgotten as Beethoven stood before us shorn of all excess and extraneous interventions
A standing ovation was the minimum that we could offer such a giant of daring commitment and artistry.

There was a dynamic drive from the very opening where the theme was played with very dramatic contrasts with Beethoven’s indications taken quite literally with ‘p’ ,’ sforzando’,’forte’ all within one bar where Tiberghien’s pin pointing was quite remarkable but it did loose something of the essential waltz ingredient – hardly a waltz any more but a declaration of intent. The taking of Beethoven’s markings with scientific punctiliousness worked wonderfully well with the first variation ‘Alla Marcia maestoso’ where the sudden changes in dynamics and Tiberghien’s intelligent musicianship gave extraordinary shape to an often rather violent ‘kick off’. His crystalline clarity was ideally suited to the whispered scampering of the second whereas the third and fourth whilst being lyrical and clear were also brittle and without the all embracing warmth that Beethoven envelopes us in.

The rhythmic surprises of the fifth were played with just the Boulezian precision pointing right left and centre in quick succession.The sixth too was played with Serkin like rhythmic frenzy as the upward surges were answered with great insistence between the hands allowing the seventh to suddenly take wing.There was quite exquisite beauty in the eighth where the beautiful legato melody floats on barely whispered harp like sounds with remarkably clean whispered undulations.The ‘Allegro pesante e risoluto’ was played like a man possessed and was with startling effect as was the Presto of the tenth remarkable for its relentless forward movement despite the quite transcendental hurdles that the composer places before the performer.

Again it was the ‘Allegretto’ and un ‘ poco piu moto’ of the eleventh and twelfth that suffered from the lack of all embracing warmth and depth of touch.In particular the meanderings of the eleventh seemed quite pointless and rather without any architectural shape or direction.Not so the thirteenth that I have never heard played with such character and even sense of humour.The scrupulous attention to ‘f’ and ‘p’ but above all the rests was quite breathtaking and was like opening a window on a completely new world.There was great beauty too to the ‘Grave e maestoso’ bathed in pedal but with a rhythmic precision of poignant intensity.Beethoven may be having fun but he was also nearing the end of his tormented life with so much left to express of suppressed deep inner feelings.

Mendelssohnian lightness to the fifteenth with the alternating staccato e legato contrasts was played with non stop rhythmic elan.If Serkin brought more overwhelming sound to the sixteenth and seventeenth the near hysterical overdrive was the same and was quite overwhelming in it’s impact. But the beauty of the ‘poco moderato’ eluded Tiberghien where the intellectual should meet the stylistic on open ground of sumptuous operatic beauty allowing the music to breathe and expand at last as it weaves it’s way through the nineteenth to the long slow ‘Andante’ . Again the warmth and beauty of a full string orchestra were replaced by the tempered coolness of the winds.Taking off with enviable energy as the ‘Allegro con brio’ took flight with dynamic drive just as the operatic humour he brought to the twenty second was remarkable for the scrupulous precision and respect for Beethoven’s markings brought such character to what was becoming almost too serious!

The lilting waltz of the twenty fifth was quite delectably ravishing as he played with clarity and delicacy but never forsaking the clockwork jewel like precision . I felt that the twenty sixth marked ‘piacevole’ could have had more time to unfold naturally and beautifully 9 like in op 109) before the electric precision of the twenty seventh and the driving sledgehammer accents of the twenty eighth. The gasps of the ‘twenty ninth ‘ Adagio ma non troppo’ I have never forgotten André Tchaikowsky’s performance where he miraculously incorporated the warm rich sotto voce sound with the rests that Beethoven marks very meticulously. I was expecting Tiberghien with his pin point precision to be supreme here and although it was very beautiful it was not what Beethoven had notated!

The thirtieth and thirty first were played with bel canto beauty but where the lack of real weight did not allow us to savour one of Beethoven’s most profound statements sharing a deep inner soul that is to be found only in the poignancy of the late quartets.The thirty second is a fugue every bit as ‘animalesco’ as I remember Serkin and Brendel but whilst it was extraordinarily clearly played it lacked the full orchestra sound that was so obviously in Beethoven’s secret ear. But the clarity of the sudden rush of quavers was done to absolute perfection and the cadenza flourishes were truly breathtaking.

Tiberghien’s crystalline clarity and precision were ideally suited to the magical unravelling of the last variation and the way he just threw off the last chord showed what humility and respect he had shown throughout ,but here in particular with the final outpourings of the Genius from Bonn.

A dream of Diabelli had been a Wigmore co commission with a Sonata in ten parts by the Australian composer Lisa Illean.A work that never rose above mezzo forte but was a series of magical sounds that found the perfect interpreter in Tiberghien with his pure precision like the icicles of Michelangelian touch.A remarkable feat of touch and hammer like precision with glowing purity but never with any clouded pedal sounds .

The 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, op 120, was written between 1819 and 1823 by Beethoven  on a waltz by Anton Diabelli .It forms the first part of Diabelli’s publication Vaterlandischer Kunstlerverein , the second part consisting of 50 variations by 50 other composers including  Carl Czerny,Franz Schubert ,Hummel,Moscheles,Kalkbrenner,a twelve year old Franz Liszt and a host of lesser-known names including Franz Xaver Mozart  and others now largely forgotten.It is often considered to be one of the greatest sets of variations for keyboard along with Bach’s Goldberg Variations.Tovey called it “the greatest set of variations ever written”and pianist Alfred Brendel has described it as “the greatest of all piano works”.It also comprises, in the words of Hans von Bulow “a microcosm of Beethoven’s art”. Alfred Brendel wrote, “The theme has ceased to reign over its unruly offspring. Rather, the variations decide what the theme may have to offer them. Instead of being confirmed, adorned and glorified, it is improved, parodied, ridiculed, disclaimed, transfigured, mourned, stamped out and finally uplifted”.Maynard Solomon  in The Late Beethoven: Music, Thought, Imagination expresses this idea symbolically, as a journey from the everyday world (“Diabelli’s theme conveys ideas, not only of the national, the commonplace, the humble, the rustic, the comic, but of the mother tongue, the earthly, the sensuous, and, ultimately, perhaps, of every waltzing couple under the sun”Of great significance, according to Kinderman, is the discovery that a few crucial variations were added in the final stage of composition, 1822–23 and inserted at important turning-points in the series. A careful study of these late additions reveals that they stand out from the others by having in common a return to, and special emphasis on, the melodic outline of Diabelli’s waltz, in the mode of parody.

The autograph of the Diabelli variations gives a detailed insight into Beethoven’s working routine. It nicely illustrates how the composer worked, how he strove for a perfect final version by adding, crossing out and pasting over notes, by inserting sheets and so on. Beethoven’s handwriting gives evidence of the conflict between producing a well-readable copy and giving way to spontaneity and unrestrained expression. His way of writing says much about his musical intentions, and the manuscript also mirrors his complex personality.

His handwriting had always been quite attracting. Anton Diabelli, who ordered the variation cycle, wanted to own the autograph by all means and claimed that he as the publisher needed it as proof of ownership. And indeed, he managed to obtain it. Later, it came into the possession of two well-known autograph collectors: Heinrich Steger from Vienna and Louis Koch from Frankfurt. Thereafter, the manuscript remained in private possession for many years. Thanks to the contribution of many supporters, among them the public authorities, public and private foundations as well as music aficionados from all over the world, the manuscript could be acquired in 2009 and be added to the collection of the Beethoven-Haus. Last but not least this important achievement is owing to the efforts of outstanding Beethoven interpreters who gave charity concerts. Thanks to this common commitment artists and laymen can now enjoy this unusual master composition.

Some very accomplished playing from this young Polish pianist with a very poised and beautiful account of what Fou Ts’ong used to call 24 problems.An entire lunchtime recital dedicated to the complete 24 preludes and played with a great sense of style and consummate musicianship .

From the very first prelude we were obviously in the hands of a pianist who could play with poise and a timeless sense of style that could allow the music to breathe so naturally without ever loosing track of the overall shape and direction. There was the poignancy of the second prelude too with its brooding undercurrent accompanying the long drawn out melodic line. A fleeting lightness to the third which accompanied the gentle rubato of the upper melodic line. Never missing a note but with the sensibility of an accompanist who can listen and follow with such care. The agonising melodic line of the fourth was played with disarming simplicity as the left hand was the palpitating heartbeat of this cry in the dark.The fifth was played with a fleetness but also with a certain weight that allowed it to be shaped with emotional souplesse.A profound depth to the sixth that was played with the beauty and flexibility of a ‘cello with the gentle sighing drops in the right hand merely an onlooker.

The 7th and shortest of all the preludes was played with the beauty and simplicity that it deserves before the passionate outpouring of the 8th with its searing passionate abandon that was almost too much emotion for this young man’s noble soul. Majesty and nobility accompanied the 9th even adding a deep bass note to give more depth without hardness to the sound at a crucial moment in it’s percorse.The capricious mazurka style of the 10th was beautifully shaped with playing of lightness but also of architectural shape. The ‘vivace’ of the 11th whilst beautifully sung could have been even simpler allowing Chopin to lead the way with mellifluous beauty.The 12th was played with remarkable control and technical finesse allowing the relentless forward movement to arrive at it’s final inevitable goal.The 13th is one of the most beautiful of all the preludes and was played with radiance and beauty the ‘più lento’ reaching moments of sublime beauty. A remarkable sense of balance that allowed the melodic line to sing as it was revealed without interruption from the continuous bass harmonies.The agitation of the 14th was played with clarity , simplicity and dryness allowing us to appreciate the radiant beauty of the first ‘raindrop’ that fell onto the keys with glowing beauty and aristocratic good taste.If the central episode could have flowed with more horizontal shape and movement it would have made even more impact before the poignant beauty of the return of subtle raindrops just dying to a whisper as a storm was about to break.

The 16th is a ‘tour de force’ of technical command and resiliance.It is one of those works that one must practice blindfold because there is no way that any pianist can look at the left hand leaps whilst the right hand is playing a non stop stream of notes. I remember Perlemuter demonstrating this very prelude in a master class at the Royal Academy in London during the Heath period of continual strikes.The great master was demonstrating this prelude when the lights suddenly went off ,but well into his 80’s he carried on fearlessly and spotlessly to the end! It was played today with great mastery but to see this young man’s head looking to the right and then to the left took away from the musical undulations that this prelude represents.There was beauty and simplicity in the 17th with its sweeping melodic line and continual forward movement and if Chopin does mark the deep A flats in the coda with a forzando, I feel that this is only like a long pedal of A flat on which floats as in a dream the memory of such beauty. In Schumann it can mean the striking of the midnight hour but here I feel it should be more etherial and less of this world. It contrasts with the cadenza type prelude that is very much of the real world with its passionate outpourings and dramatic Lisztian comments.The 19th like op 10 n 10 is the most technically difficult of all the preludes as it requires a continual swimming like movement to allow the melodic line to sing above a continuous stream of sounds.Today it was played remarkable beauty and with poetic shape of delicacy. The C minor prelude often used by composers as the theme for variations was played with nobility and dignity as it disappeared into the distance with a masterly control of sound. A beautifully mellifluous melodic line with a flowing accompaniment reached a poignant climax of sumptuous sounds in the 21st before two final chords heralded the entry of the bass tearing away ‘molto agitato ‘ with dynamic drive. Our pianist seemed more concerned with the right hand chords than the searing melodic line in the left that could have been much more sustained and legato.A simplicity like streams of water in the 23rd heralded the heroic opening of the 24th that was played with great command ,a remarkable sense of line and an architectural shape taking us to the three final D’s in the bass that were played with respectful solemnity of differing voices.

The beautiful C sharp minor notturne op posth was offered as an encore for a large and very appreciative audience.It was played with a glowing fluidity and subtle rubato and like all he did today superb musicianship and masterly control.

Equally passionate about solo and collaborative performance, Krzysztof has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at many prestigious venues including Barbican Hall, Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Milton Court Concert Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Palacio de Festivales de Santander, Casa da Musica in Porto, Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw, as well as in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Japan and United States. He has appeared as soloist with the Opole Philharmonic Orchestra, Radom Chamber Orchestra, Frederic Chopin State School Symphony Orchestra, and the Hornton Chamber Orchestra. Krzysztof has been invited to many international music festivals and piano courses worldwide. In 2015 he attended the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado. He worked with Maestro Thomas Adès at the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove and Christian Blackshaw at the Hellensmusic Festival. In 2017 he was invited to perform both solo and chamber music at the 17th Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander. Recently, he appeared at the London Master Classes and The International Holland Music Sessions. Moreover he has received masterclasses from highly distinguished musicians including Richard Goode, Angela Hewitt, Robert Levin, Norma Fisher, Jonathan Biss, Kevin Kenner and Anne Queffélec; he also gained valuable insight from his work with Graham Johnson and Carole Presland. Krzysztof began learning piano at the age of seven with Renata Lasocka; during his musical studies in Poland, he won prizes in major national piano competitions and performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and with orchestra. In 2011, he completed with highest distinction the Frederic Chopin State School of Music in Warsaw, studying with Joanna Kurpiowska. His subsequent move to London allowed for further development of his pianism. In 2017, he completed his Master Degree in Piano Performance with first class honours at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying with Ronan O’Hora. Subsequently, he was offered a prestigious Guildhall Artist Fellowship in 2017/2018. A prizewinner at several international piano competitions, including the International Brant Piano Competition in Birmingham, the Christopher Duke International Piano Recital Competition in London, and the Piano Competition of Ludwik Stefanski Plock in Poland, which led to a concert tour in Japan, In 2016 he became an artist of the Talent Unlimited Trust. Krzysztof was also awarded the Derek Butler Award from Countess of Munster Musical Trust and the James Gibb Scholarship Award. Moreover, Krzysztof had been graciously supported during his studies by the Guildhall School Trust and Sinfonia Varsovia Foundation.

Presented in association Talent Unlimited  

Masterclasses where the composers wishes are paramount as Maestro Portugheis with humility and respect shares his thoughts with young musicians in annual masterclasses that he holds in many different cities throughout the world.

And this year 2024 in London and Argentina : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/young-pianists-concert-the-alberto-portugheis-masterclasses-tickets-1037572927557

A total respect for the composers wishes is the start of an interpretation to turn dots and dashes into the same sounds that the composer could imagine in his head.Nowhere is that more apparent than with the elderly Beethoven – totally deaf as he wrote down his final Sonatas with indications on performance that were sounds only in his head .He was able to transform his wishes precisely onto the printed page to share with posterity.A miracle indeed and there are one or two performers who can perform miracles as they translate these wishes into sound with mastery and artistry.

A lifetime voyage of discovery that Alberto Portugheis shares with talented young musicians with determination,severity but above all love.

Alberto Portugheis – A Renaissance man goes POSK to celebrate the 213th Birthday of Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin

Masterclasses at the Steinway Hall in London

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2019/01/11/alberto-portugheis-the-renaissance-man/

Alberto Portugheis is running his annual Masterclasses for advanced piano students and young professionals at Steinway Hall in London this September.



Masterclass Information

·  Venue: Steinway Hall, 44 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2DB

·  Dates: Monday, September 4th – Friday, 8 September 2023 

·  Time: Classes daily 10 am – 4 pm daily (break for lunch from 1pm – 2pm)

· Public Students Concert: Thursday, 7 September at 6.30 pm

 
For further details, please email Alberto, who will also share details about the scholarships available alberto_portugheis@yahoo.co.uk

http://www.hufud.org

https://opusmusica.org/masterclass.html (Masterclasses)

Patsy Toh (centre) with Firoze Madon and his mother

As part of the exciting new Strand Rising Stars Series, in association with The Keyboard Trust, enjoy an exceptional recital at the beautiful candlelit venue of St Mary le Strand. A unique opportunity to hear new some of the brightest new stars of the piano world.

Bach/Busoni – Chaconne in D minor, BWV1004

Debussy – Étude No.7 pour les degrés chromatiques

Oran Johnson – A Solstice Nocturne

Ravel -Oiseaux Tristes from Mirroirs

Brahms – Variations and Fugue on a theme by Handel, Op.24

A new series for Warren Mailley- Smith to add to the 300 that his City Music promotes every season not only in London but also Manchester and Edinburgh.
Many of the concerts he plays himself with a wide ranging repertoire from Chopin to Gershwin and he even donates his beautiful Steinway to the series he promotes in St Mary Le Strand.

Warren Mailley- Smith A man for all seasons A love of music illuminated by candlelight

Many concerts are given to illustrious colleagues too who otherwise would be all too rarely heard in the overcrowded but culture starved metropolis.

With an eye to the up and coming new generation a new series has been formed in collaboration with the Keyboard Trust and a first series began yesterday with Sherri Lun whose star was certainly shining brightly yesterday.

A church that is an oasis in a city bustling with life and that rises so magnificently in the centre of the Strand in a newly created pedestrian precinct that includes the Courtauld Gallery.

There was a radiance to the sound from a resonance that was perfect for the beautiful music that arose from this artists hands like an eagle rising over the setting sun .A beautiful church of the just dimensions for chamber concerts that lit by candlelight that gave the warm glow of being enveloped in a magical velvet web.
Nowhere more was this evident than in the central part of Sherri’s programme which was a group of very atmospheric works by Debussy and Ravel.A tris of works whose centre was a beautiful Nocturne by Oran Johnson ,who was present at the concert to hear his music transformed into a magic spell by this very sensitive artist.

‘Pour les degrés chromatiques’ is a study in chromatic scales but here it was a web of magic sounds out of which arose an apparition of ravishing beauty ( similar to Ravel’s Barque sur l’océan). It is one of those moments of breathtaking beauty that seduce the senses far more than any words could ever do. Of course there was the technical perfection that this study demands but there was much more besides – a soul arising in the beauty of an edifice that was the ideal preparation for Oran Johnson’s ‘Solstice’.There was magic in the air as the beautiful golden sounds filled the glorious candlelit atmosphere and we were transformed for a moment in time ,where the bustle that surrounds St Mary’s was of another age.Out of this atmospheric haze emerged Ravel’s saddest of birds where I have never been so moved to hear in such a contest as today’s. Usually played as part of the complete Miroirs following on from busy moths and turbulant seas, here it was simply a vision of the serene paradise that Ravel had allowed his birds to escape to.

The concert had opened with the greatest of all works ever written for a solo instrument :Bach’s mighty Chaconne transformed by Busoni into a work that might very well have been written for the keyboard of Busoni’s age rather than for a solo violin a century earlier. A powerful performance as it had been in St James’s Piccadilly but here today it was played with fleeting brilliance and sumptuous delicacy as this young artist was able to savour the sounds that were arising from her hands and wafting on high with the extraordinary potency of poetic beauty and aristocratic power.

Sherri Lun at St James’s Piccadilly Poetry and grandeur with crystalline clarity and impeccable musicianship

It was the same effect for Brahms’s 25 variations and Fugue on Handel’s disarmingly simple theme from his harpsichord Suite n. 1 in B flat HWV 484. A work normally given to advanced students together with the Wanderer Fantasy and the 32 Variations in C minor to acquire a technical perfection allied to musical values. Rarely is the work heard as a long poem of subtle beauty with streams of glorious sounds of horizontal not vertical beauty. From the very opening theme the ornaments were like bird calls not just tightly spun springs.The variations too spread over the keys and filled the air with wondrous poetic sounds that is rare indeed compared to other less poetic interpretations where hurdles are mounted with athletic glee rather than artistic sensibility. Electric excitement lead to the glorious triumphant transformation of Handel’s innocent little melody.

But Sherri and her mentor Christopher Elton realise that this is not the climax of the piece but just an opening to the heroic fugue where the true climax lies with the tolling bells that ring out in the right and then the left hand as the fugue goes unimpeded forward illuminated by sumptuous Philadelphian sounds of full orchestra.

A triumph for this young artist who is indeed a rising star and on her way in the next few days to Japan to match her artistry with others in Hamamatsu where has been especially selected to compete.
Artistry of this calibre is not really the fodder for Circus entertainment but the International Competition Circuit is just one way of sharing a young person’s artistry with millions of followers worldwide via the excellence of streaming.
Time was against us as Warren Mailley -Smith just an hour later would be playing Trios by Beethoven and Mendelssohn in an ambience warmed by Sherri’s succulent music making.

But Sherri had one more piece she wanted to share with us and here really was a star shining brightest tonight. Her own sumptuous transcription of the Elegy from Shostakovich’s Ballet Suite.We are so used to the percussive music of Prokofiev and Shostakovich but in a sensitive artists hands they can reach the true soul of these much misrepresented composers and show us a world of radiance and beauty as Sherri demonstrated today .

Sherri Lun (2024 Winner Birmingham international Piano Competition) Named ‘2020 Performing Artist of the Year’ by the South China Morning Post,  Sherri Lun majored in piano and viola as a junior student of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She is currently studying with Prof. Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music with a full scholarship supported by the Academy and the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. In 2013, Sherri was selected as a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. After her concerto debut with the Midwest Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival at age 11, she was invited to perform again at Ravinia the following year, as well as in Millennium Park (Chicago) and at the Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris), followed by collaborations with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Hong Kong Youth Orchestra, and the Kölner Kammerorchester.

Wed 23 Oct 1.10pm

2020 Performing Artist of the Year’ by the South China Morning Post, currently studies at the Royal Academy of Music on full scholarship.

https://www.youtube.com/live/TXGAQ3EJ8vs?feature=shared

Some very assured playing from the opening notes of the Bach Chaconne played with great authority with wonderful layers of sound.There was a luminosity and fluidity to her playing of great clarity and precision where there was both poetry and passion ,power and grandeur. A wonderful range of sounds but always within the style of one of the greatest works ever written for a solo instrument.

There was a delicacy to her chromatic study by Debussy that was played with a crystalline clarity and great beauty as the melodic line was intoned in the bass with the insinuating chromatic jeux perlé whispered above.Debussy’s ‘fireworks’ were just that, beginning with just a scintillating spark of extraordinary clarity and precision as it gradually built from a glimmer to a glowing outpouring of quite transcendental mastery only to die away as the Marseillaise was heard in the distance.Some ravishingly atmospheric playing as we listened to the barely whispered anthem before the last spark was extinguished.

There was a classical nobility to the Sonata op 78 that together with the ‘Appassionata’ were the favourites of the composer’s output of his thirty two steps that mirrored his lifetime in music. It lead to the simple beauty of the Allegro with the beauty and delicacy of the embellishments contrasting between the exuberance and the sweetly calm of a Sonata dedicated to a lady of whom Beethoven was evidently very fond.The Allegto vivace saw the return of the irascible Beethoven of dramatic contrasts with Sherri’s crystalline fingers able to bring such subtle clarity and contrasts to this scintillating final movement.The coda was beautifully shaped as the knotty twine just unraveled so eloquently before being swept away on a wave of exuberance.

Chopin’s Polonaise Fantasie was played with nobility and refined beauty with a sense of architectural shape that held this seemingly fragmented work together revealing the masterpiece of a new form that the genius of Chopin had discovered towards the end of his life .A beauty to the central episode of great strength and poignant meaning.The opening vibrating chords were played with a ravishing sense of colour as they gently expanded over the entire keyboard to be rudely awakened by the strident Polonaise rhythm.The build up to the final aristocratic climax was masterful as it was a gradual exhilaration, culminating in the ecstatic final triumphant outpouring before dying away to a mere whisper .

Chopin’s Revolutionary Study played as an encore demonstrated Sherri’s superb technical mastery allied to a scrupulous attention to detail and sense of architectural shape. It was obvious that she had been tutored by Christopher Elton whose many famous students like those of his mentor Gordon Green are magnificently prepared pianists but first and foremost superb and respectful musicians – servants to the masters they are interpreting.

Sherri Lun at Steinway Hall for the Keyboard Trust Mastery,passion and intelligence of twenty year old pianist.

“- tackling the bruising finale with pinpoint clarity and convincing bravura, while the lighter moments danced with an impish joy that brought the audience to their feet after the final bars.” – Chicago Tribune

Born in 2003, Sherri Lun started her first piano lesson at the age of 4. At 7 years old, she was admitted to the Junior Music Program of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with a double major in piano and viola under the tutelages of Ms. Hui Ling (piano) and Ms. Cass Ho (viola). After graduating from Diocesan Girls’ School, she continued her music studies with Prof. Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she receives a full-tuition scholarship supported by the Academy and the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. She is also a KNS Classical and Keyboard Charitable Trust artist.A Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Sherri made her concerto debut at the Ravinia Festival with the Midwest Young Artists at just 10 years old. Since then, she has performed in prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall in London, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, and Millennium Park in Chicago. Her international appearances span the UK, US, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, and China. Sherri has also collaborated with esteemed ensembles such as the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Hong Kong Youth Orchestra, and Kölner Kammerorchester. In December 2023, she released her debut album with KNS Classical, featuring works by Robert Schumann and César Franck.Highlights of her 2023/24 season include solo recitals in Steinway Hall London, Drapers’ Hall, Hammerklavier International Piano Series in Girona, as well as a 4-concert tour in Malaysia. Performances in the upcoming season include the Leeds & Bradford Piano Trail Festival as part of the Leeds International Piano Competition, the Festival Musicale delle Nazioni in Rome, and an Italian concert tour in 2025 organized by the Keyboard Charitable Trust. 

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/strand/st-mary-le-strand-church/the-strand-rising-stars-series-sherri-lun/e-zleplk

Including live stream of concerts in Cokesbury and New York

CASTLETON THEATRE , VIRGINIA

Elias played magnificently yesterday at Castleton! The program was the longest on his tour — it was like a double marathon.

The subtlety of his playing and his intelligent phrasing is astounding – both powerful and deeply refined.Standing ovations from our (elderly and connoisseur…) audience! They leapt to their feet and couldn’t even wait for the last note to finish!And what a sweet, appreciative house guest he was… we miss him already!

Thank you, Sarah, for sending us this jewel.
Enjoy the time with him, everyone.

Warmest regards,

Dietlinde

I was able to talk with the architect of the theater who was so enthusiastic and kind in Castleton
Aw, I’m so touched – the atmosphere was very electric- the beautiful nature surroundings that was on my left side while I played the Schumann and the wonderful focused audience on my right – it felt so special in its own way.
All the audience were so so appreciative and thrilling – Elias

ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON

The atmosphere felt like a nice salon kind of vibe! I particularly liked the piano – it had such a warm sound to it – perfect for the Schumann and it cushioned the potentially harsh sounds that can arise from the Liszt too! It overall went well! I was able to talk to a few people and have dinner with Gloria and her husband. It was such a wonderful time. I would love to return to both Castelton and DC 😂) – Elias

Elias was brilliant, as you would expect.  He arrived at the club at noon and was shown to his room and the piano.  His recital was indeed well received, standing ovation, and a curtain call.

Mike took some pictures of him playing our brand new, simply gorgeous Steinway piano (Elias too fell in love with her. She is a gorgeous creature).  He is only the 3rd pianist to play “Elisa Doolittle, Our Fair Lady”(I’ve baptized her with that moniker😍.With gratitude for all you do, Gloria 

COKESBURY VILLAGE ,DELAWARE

Elias was fabulous! In Cokesbury You would have loved tonight’s concert!  Spirited! Greeted with a standing ovation!  My husband was standing in the back as people exited and reports rave reviews!

VIDEO LINK https://youtu.be/L4q1IonJt-U?si=sKH88BKEmQPZ-kqo

We had Elias come back to our cottage afterwards along with the daughters of Barbara Miller Clark, Great conversation!  Elias is a dear, really special!

Attached are some of the many photos I took with my cell phone. Our residents were still raving today about his performance.  And I am still marveling about what a nice/darling young man he is!  He was a gift! 

Fondly,  Helen Foss.

COUNTRY HOUSE , PHILADELPHIA

Elias was more than I imagined.  So kind, sweet and the performance, above and beyond!!  Elias played for almost 90 minutes and received a standing ovation.  The residents are still sending me e:mails about his performance.

Although it took some work to get him here, so worth it.  I wish him so much success.  A wonderful young man.

Jaime

Jamie L. Treese

Life Engagement Director

Country House Wilmington

Jamie- I do not know how you booked Elias Ackerley but he was FANTASTIC 

A standing ovation from the residence- and quite a good crowd attended.

We all appreciate the culture that you bring to us.i am sorry you weren’t here to watch and listen…

We spoke after the concert. He really is a genius!

Judy took a few pictures to share with you

❤️❤️❤️Phyllis and Buddy

CONCERT IN A PRIVATE HOUSE FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS MUSICALES, PHILADELPHIA

Joe Paulits Review

Founded in 1933, Young Musicians Musicales’ mission is to provide performance opportunities to top young classical instrumental and vocal performers by presenting daytime concerts in exceptional private homes in Northwest Philadelphia and its nearby suburban communities.

Young Musicians Musicales opened its 91st season on October 16, 2024, on a spectacular autumn afternoon in Philadelphia with abundant and colorful fall foliage.  

The concert was held in the beautiful and art-filled residence of one of the group’s members in Merion Station, just outside of Philadelphia. The residence features fabulous acoustics for chamber music.  The home previously served as the library and offices of the Barnes Foundation, which is now located in Center City Philadelphia and houses one of the world’s greatest collections of impressionist and post-impressionist art.

Our guest performer on the host’s finely tuned Steinway was the fantastic young pianist, Elias Ackerley.  Elias is a recent graduate of the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and is currently enrolled in the Master’s program at the Julliard School in New York.  His performance with us was courtesy of our partnership with the London-based Keyboard Charitable Trust.  The Trust identifies and assists in the development of top piano talent by providing performance opportunities around the globe. For our concert, Elias was clearly communing with the spirit of Beethoven in a rapturous performance of the composer’s penultimate piano sonata, the opus 110. He then beautifully explored the many moods of Schumann’s Kreisleriana, and showed his pyrotechnic “chops” with a fiery, passionate reading of Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody. Our enthralled and truly appreciative audience of Young Musicians Musicales members and their guests exclaimed praise for Elias’ poise, emotional range, and masterful technique in this challenging repertoire.  We can only hope that Elias will continue to visit Philadelphia as he achieves ever more well-deserved acclaim in the Unites States and abroad.  We are so grateful to the Keyboard Charitable Trust for sharing Elias and many other outstanding young performers with our organization.

KLAVIERHAUS, NEW YORK

Thank you for your kind note! Elias is a truly gifted pianist and musician, and a lovely and easy person to work with as well. I’m glad you were able to catch it.It was a most gratifying recital, and I’m very proud that we were able to present it.With all my best wishes,

Jed Distler Artistic Director Klavierhaus New York.

LIVE STREAM VIDEO : https://youtube.com/live/ixB6IL2eeuA

Elias writes : “I loved the piano so so much. The Fazioli pianos are some of my favorites to play especially when they’re kept well.”

p.s. An interesting note from James of Mumeneer Studio recordings : while Elias chose the Fazioli, our other house piano, the Hamburg Steinway D, was in the city of Hull during the second World War . So both you and us were in the company of survivors of the war. The legacy of human resilience lives on in all of us, especially through music

ELIAS ACKERLEY – USA TOUR: 12-20 OCTOBER 2024

PROGRAMMES 

 

CASTLETON, VIRGINIA (90 mins – with interval) 

Bach-Busoni – Chaconne in D minor BWV 1004 (15’) 

Schumann – Kreisleriana Op. 16  (30’)

INTERVAL

Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op.110 (19’)

Liszt – Spanish Rhapsody (14’)

 

EVERYWHERE ELSE  (60 mins – no interval) 

Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op.110 (19’)

Schumann – Kreisleriana Op. 16  (30’)

Liszt – Spanish Rhapsody (14’)

Elias writes : Aww I’m so touched by all the messages – it really means so much to me ! I’m so glad they all enjoyed the performance!

For the Castleton concert on the 13th, I was welcomed so warmly by Dietlinde and Tony, although quite tired from the journey, I was so grateful to have been able to use their sauna which helped me relax before the lengthy recital the next day. The concert was received so enthusiastically. The Theatre was beautiful, and the piano was quite nice (the top register sometimes did have a metallic tone) but in general it was a great hall the sun beaming gently with the trees on to the stage

For the performance at DC, I was also warmly welcomed by Gloria and her husband and the Arts Club. It was actually a highlight for me. The piano was so gorgeous with a lovely Germanic middle register that suited the Schumann. The audience were so enthusiastic and I was able to connect with a few.

The YMM concert in Philadelphia was a lovely time. The piano was an old Steinway, with the original “Steinway” (no & sons). It had an old soul to it which I loved. I was very much welcomed by both Chris Huber as well as Suzanne Root. The audience were so excited and the performance went very well.The time afterwards with Chris and her husband at the Union Club was one of the highlights.I was so grateful!

At Cokesbury, i had the most warm welcome, Helen and Robert were such sweethearts. The venue and the piano was great, the performance was good for the most part, with slight difficulty at the end as the piano did go out of tune.

Country House was also a wonderful but short time. I loved Jamie who was always checking in on me and provided me with snacks and anything else I needed. The new Steinway was in need of more playing – it had a great warm tone but because it was so new, it was still developing the bigger sound that normally is expected with Steinways. The performance went very well. And the audience turnout was quite big and they were very enthusiastic.

Finally at Klavierhaus, the Fazioli was a wonderful instrument, I was so happy to have met Caroline and her friends as well, my personal friends also came which was lovely. The performance was quite good, I think the fatigue eventually did get the better at times but overall I felt quite good with the performance.

I just want to personally thank you. You really helped me in every possible way – I really really appreciate it! This tour wouldn’t have gone the way it did without your continuing help. Thank you so much! 🙏

ELIAS ACKERLEY

Elias Ackerley was born in England in 2001.  His family emigrated to South Korea in 2002.  He began piano lessons at the age of five and, after making rapid progress, at the age of eight, he started taking lessons with Russian pianist, Oleg Shitin.At the age of eleven (after his family moved back to the UK), Elias gave his debut recital in Chester.  Since then, he has performed regularly in concerts throughout the UK, including as a concerto soloist with a number of orchestras. Between 2014 and 2019 Elias was a student at Chetham’sSchool of Music in the UK, where he was a pupil of Dr Murray McLachlan.  In 2015, Elias became the youngest-ever winner of the Manchester Beethoven Competition.During this period Elias also won First Prize at the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition (2017), the Blue Ribbon at the National Eisteddfod (2017) and the Epta UK Piano Competition (2018). In 2018, he was also a keyboard finalist in the ‘BBC Young Musician of the Year’ Competition – and won Second Prize in the Rome International Piano Competition. In 2019, Elias was offered a place to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Professors Gary Graffman and Meng-Chieh Liu.  He also had lessons with Yefim Bronfman. During his time at the Curtis Institute, Elias enjoyed successes in international competitions such as being a prize winner in the 2023 Aarhus International Piano Competition in Denmark, as well as being a finalist in the 2024 Montreal International Piano Competition.  After his graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music, Elias was accepted at the Juilliard School in New York, where he is currently studying for a Master’s Degree with Professor Robert McDonald.  In 2022, Elias was accepted onto the Kumho Young Artist concert programme in South Korea where he gave a debut recital in the Kumho Arts Centre in Seoul.  He has also recently performed in other South Korean cities, such as in Seoul, Daejon, as well as in the F1963 venue in Busan. Elias has also given concerts across the United States including in Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia.  Elias has participated in masterclasses with Sir Andras Schiff, Stephen Hough and Richard Goode, and has also received tuition from Leslie Howard, Boris Berman and Robert McDonald.  From 2019 until 2023, Elias was a recipient of the Dr K.R. WeirLegacy Award, which generously supported him through the Keyboard Charitable Trust, London.  

 

__________________________________________

 

I think you may still be able to catch Elias’s graduation recital on the Curtis’s website – and, possibly, his recital for the Final of the Montreal Piano Competition.   

https://www.facebook.com/CMIMontreal/posts/-laur%C3%A9ats-piano-2024-laureatesf%C3%A9licitations-au-pianiste-canadien-jaeden-izik-dzu/845041860770361/  .  

 

Christopher Axworthy, one of the Trust’s Artistic Directors, commented that Elias’s Beethoven in the Montreal was the highlight of the competition ….  There’s more about him here: https://concoursmontreal.ca/en/competitors/elias-ackerley/ .  

 

 

THE KEYBOARD CHARITABLE TRUST 

for Young Professional Performers 

 

Patron:  SIR ANTONIO PAPPANO 

 

Founded in 1991, the Keyboard Charitable Trust’s mission is to help young keyboard players reduce the element of chance in building a professional musical career. The Trust identifies the most talented young performers (aged 18-30) and assists their development by offering them opportunities to perform throughout the world. For the most gifted, this means débuts in London, New York, Mexico, Berlin, Rome and other music capitals. 

In collaboration with its partners worldwide, the Keyboard Trust has developed a circuit of some fifty venues in seven principal countries, from the most prestigious concert halls to locations where classical music is rarely heard. Over the past thirty-three years, the Trust has presented over 300 young international pianists, historic keyboard players and organists (aged 18-30) in over 900 concerts worldwide.

With such notable musicians as the late Claudio Abbado, Alfred Brendel and Evgeny Kissin among its Trustees, this formula has proved its worth: many Trust artists receive an offer of a new engagement, a broadcast, a recording or management. Nearly half of the artists have subsequently made serious professional musical careers.

Recent years have seen a further expansion of the Trust’s work in Germany, Italy and Russia as well as in the USA where the distinguished conductor, the late Lorin Maazel, invited the Trust to present its artists at his Festival Theatre in Virginia.  

Recent highlights include Elia Cecino winning the New Orleans International Competition in 2022 and the Valencia Iturbi International Competition in 2023; Pedro Lopez Salas winning Second Prize at the Ferrol International Piano Competition in Galicia in 2022; and George X. Fu winning BBC Music Magazine’s Newcomer Award for his album ‘Mirrors’ in 2024.

The Keyboard Charitable Trust is funded entirely by voluntary donations. Detailed information about the Trust, how to become a Friend, join the One Thousand Club or to provide corporate support, may be found on our website.

 

TRUSTEES

Nicola Bulgari (Hon. President)   Geoffrey Shindler OBE (Chairman)   

John Leech MBE (Co-Founder)   ​Noretta Conci-Leech MBE (Co-Founder & Artistic Director 1990-2013)

Alfred Brendel KBE   Evgeny Kissin   Christopher Axworthy   Moritz von Bredow   Sasha Grynyuk

Dr Leslie Howard   Sir Geoffrey Nice QC   Dr Elena Vorotko

Claudio Abbado † (1991-2014)   Nicholas Snowman OBE† (1991-2023)   

 

ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

Dr Leslie Howard   Dr Elena Vorotko   Christopher Axworthy

 

COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES

Moritz von Bredow (Germany)   Christopher Axworthy (Italy)   Caroline von Reitzenstein (USA)

 

ADMINISTRATION

Sarah Biggs (CEO): Email: sarahbiggs01@btinternet.com

Richard Thomas (Senior Executive):  Email: richard@keyboardtrust.org

​

www.keyboardtrust.org

Registered Charity No. 1017036

A review from afar by Christopher Axworthy

A quite remarkable recital and beautifully recorded for all to enjoy as the audience in Cokesbury Village obviously did with a spontaneous standing ovation after a Spanish Rhapsody the like of which I have not heard since Gilels. Elias under the guidance of the legendary Gary Graffman has become a supreme stylist where everything he plays makes such complete sense.There was not a moment in the entire recital where notes were just thrown off ( as Nadia Boulanger would quote from Shakespeare :Words without thought no more to heaven go).

Even in the Spanish Rhapsody that in Liszt’s day would have had the refined ladies of court screaming like wild animals and trying to to grab any souvenir of their idol to take home,perchance to dream. In Elias’s hands there was just such showmanship but played with a refined intelligence and musical understanding together with an astonishing technical mastery not just playing to please anyone, but to please the composer to whom he was but a faithful servant.

Beethoven that I remember from his performance in Montreal was of quite extraordinary beauty as the opening trill was given all the time necessary to unwind into one of Beethoven’s most poignant outpourings.There was time taken too to savour the E flat that so miraculously changes to D flat for the development.Allowing the music to unravel with such clarity that the glowing melodic line was duetting with a bass of undulating sounds. Here was an intelligence combined with a timeless style that could allow the music to breathe and take on a life of it’s own in a quite magical way. A coda that just drew all the strands together in a quite miraculous manner.

The Allegto molto was played with dynamic drive and a rhythmic precision of impeccable musicianship.The precipitous Trio was played with musical coherence that the treacherous leaps were not even a consideration as it was the music not the note picking accuracy that guided this young man’s blessed hands.There was magic as the Scherzo dissolved into a carefully placed left hand wave of sounds that linked this movement to the etherial world of the Adagio. Beautifully poised in a cloud of heavenly murmurings brought to such a poignant ending before the palpitating heartbeat took us into the paradise that Beethoven could already see before him . A wondrous sense of balance allowed the melody to sing as a true Arioso dolente and again what a joy to see the full stop so gently and fearlessly placed on the last A flat.A fugue ‘ spianato ‘ on a wave of gentle sounds where every strand had a voice of its own as it gently moved forward to the mighty E flat that again miraculously becomes D natural as we enter deep into the composers heart.’Perdendo le forse’ yes but also breathing in gasps where Beethoven’s notation of little rests became miraculously clear in this young poets hands. A whispered mirror of the fugue like a distant shadow but that gradually comes nearer and nearer as Beethoven’s ultimate exhilaration turns to the joy of eternal life. A quite remarkable performance that was deeply appreciated by the discerning audience at Cokesbury.

Schumann’s Eight Fantasies op 16 that make up Kreisleriana were made up of miniature tone poems of remarkable beauty and style .There was a dynamic drive to the first played with a wondrous fluidity of undulating sounds of passionate intensity. Keeping the same tempo but changing character for the central episode that was a long glorious outpouring of song .There was a beautiful natural sweep to the second with its long legato octave melodic line played with a wondrous legato that was a combination of fingers like limpets and a masterly use of the pedal .A natural rubato like just running over a gentle slope in the car!A complete change of character for the two intermezzi interludes but miraculously were architecturally held under the same roof without disturbing the musical line of the longest of the fantasies. And what a wondrous goodbye too with the final four bars barely whispered like the end of a great lied , the piano reaching places where words are just not enough. A glorious stream of melody in the central episode of the third where the melodic line overlapped with passionate intensity .It contrasted with the very rhythmic outer sections until the final explosion of power and drive with double octaves being mirrored as the tension rose to boiling pitch.

A deeply felt ‘Sehr langsam’ came as a blissful relief played with disarming simplicity and the ‘bewegter’ like a breath of pure air .Elias’s eyes were glued to the keys for the fifth trying to keep track of Schumann’s capricious wilfulness which every so often would burst into song and build to a passionate climax before burning itself out at the bottom of the keyboard. The deeply melancholic outpouring of the sixth was played with a wondrous sensibility and even the ‘demisemiquavers’ became part of this deep lament .The genius of Schumann followed on like in Davidsbundler op 6 where a gentle ripple can miraculously take wing and take us into a sumptuous moment of secret longing. A hysterical outburst of technical mastery from Elias in the seventh fantasy where even the notes in the left hand ,usually shared , were fearlessly played as the composer had written them.The final calming chords were played non legato but with a glowing melodic line that took us to the final whispered ending where all energy was finally spent. It was here that the first notes of the eighth were played with unusual clarity which gave great character to this most elusive and enigmatic movements . This is the Schumann of split personality which Elias understood to perfection as the quixotic turned into neurotic at the click of a semiquaver! Even the final passionate outburst was played with a supreme sense of balance and architectural shape .So often hammered out it was here almost whispered in places to devastating emotional effect.Another superb performance from this poet of the keyboard.

Liszt’s variations on La Folia were played by a true master.Elias had all the emotional and technical reserves that could create moments of deep almost operatic beauty but then lead to a Tom and Gerry type build up of breathtaking exhilaration and excitement .I never thought I would hear a performance to match that of Gilels in London in the sixties, until today from this extraordinarily modest young man with a volcano hidden away in his midst!

A standing ovation for a remarkable recital of Beethoven op 110,Schumann op 16 and Liszt Spanish Rhapsody

Misha Kaploukhii mastery and clarity in Walton’s paradise where dreams become reality – updated to include the Sheepdrove Competition and graduation recital

Oleg Kogan proud to present this young star and to invite him into his beautiful Razumovsky Academy that he has shaped with his own hands.

And it is on Fou Ts”ong’s magnificent Steinway D that Misha Kaploukhii kept us enraptured with playing of astonishing assurance , technical mastery and poetic sensitivity.
It was in Messian ,though , that one could feel the presence of Ts’ong as this young man played the pungent heart rending dissonances with a kaleidoscope of colours.This was a kiss blessed by the Gods as the disarming simplicity of the opening was elaborated with sounds that I doubt have been heard on this piano since the most eclectic of poetic masters left us during the Covid epidemic.

One could almost imagine the presence of Ts’ong as this young man played with a poetic intelligence and mastery as the minutes of aching silence at the end were testimony, savoured but inevitably interrupted by the reaction of a public visibly moved.
I can imagine Ts’ong playing Beethoven’s Eleven Bagatelles op 119 with the same chameleonic change of character but strangely enough it was Brendel and Serkin that could imbue these ‘trifles’ with a kaleidoscope of colours and luminosity as they were intellectual stylists and realised that Beethoven also had a great sense of humour.

Misha gave a masterly performance but as I implored him afterwards why did he not use the same palette of sounds as in the second half. ‘But this is Beethoven not Messian ‘ he quite correctly retorted .A different language ,of course , but an artist must use the palette of colour that are on his brush .Picasso is instantly recognisable in all his very different periods!

Prokofiev of course was given a masterly performance much praised by Gabriel Prokofiev who was present in the audience.A slow movement of pungent austere beauty and a final movement that was played with scintillating charm and mastery that just flew with such ease from this young master’s well oiled fingers.

I cannot remember Ts’ong ever playing the Schubert Wanderer Fantasy but know he would have approved of the refined artistry of Misha’s Wanderer, the movement from which this revolutionary work was to take it’s name . The Wanderer and its variations were played with great poise and refined good taste , bathed in enough pedal to allow the piano to sing with ravishing beauty.A stream of golden magical sounds that poured from this young artists sensitive fingers.A Scherzo too that was played with dynamic drive but also with enough respectful charm that made the washes of sound in the Trio such a breathtaking contrast. The call to arms of the first movement was played with great style as he shaped the contrasting episodes with intelligence and sensitivity. The final movement was a ‘tour de force’ of brilliance and exhilaration and also miraculously kept at a constant tempo with a relentless drive.

Three songs of Bukovina with very enticing titles, that were not mirrored in their content, but that were thankfully short. Played with great conviction and maybe too seriously if one is to believe their titles. I just wish that Misha could have enlightened us with an introduction as he had so charmingly done with Beethoven and Prokofiev!
I will have to do some homework now !
We even got an extra one as an encore !
But not before Busoni’s Greensleeves (Frauengemach Elegie n 4 ) which revealed Misha’s mastery of jeux perle with the charm and colour of another age .It demonstrated the extraordinary mastery that marks this young man as very special indeed and a name to watch out for in the not too distant future.

Fou Ts’ong was one of our regular visitors to the Ghione Theatre and came year after year to play and give masterclasses.The theatre had opened in 1982 initially to provide a space for my wife ,the distinguished actress Ileana Ghione ,to produce the plays that she particularly wanted to perform with directors and set designers of great quality.She did not see the point in touring poorer productions and so set up home in an old derelict theatre next to S.Peters Square.Together we transformed it into one of the most intimate and beautiful theatres in Europe.It did not take long for musicians to ask if they could perform there too.My two teachers Guido Agosti and Vlado Perlemuter were the first and then followed a long line of distinguished musicians that through some strange twist of fate had never or rarely been invited to Rome.One of our favourite artists was Fou Ts’ong who would come year after year ,so much so that his wife ,the distinguished pianist Patsy Toh,thanked me for being so faithful.Well it is we that should thank him judging by the number of students who came under his spell and have gone on to distinguished careers.

One of these in particular is Roberto Prosedda who a week after Ts’ong’s death dedicated a Chopin recital in Pisa to him (included in an attachment here) and is now producing a book about Ts’ong’s remarkable genius.

Roberto Prosseda pays tribute to the genius of Chopin and the inspirational figure of Fou Ts’ong

Paradoxically the book is being financed by the Chinese government for a PHD student of Roberto .Fou Ts’ong’s parents had committed suicide rather than compromise their principles in the cultural revolution.Fou Ts’ong many years later was persuaded to return to China was reverred as a God and it is why now there is need for a book about his life,background and musical ideals.William Grant Naboré a disciple of Carlo Zecchi in Rome was given the possibility to start his International Piano Academy in Lake Como in 1993 and he asked me if some of our distinguished musicians would like to spend a week together with super talented young musicians to share their experiences and musical ideas in masterclasses.Fou Ts’ong was one of the first to accept the invitation and it was a love affaire that lasted over 20 years .Francois Dumont was one of the lucky students to come under the influence of Fou Ts’ong in Como.Fou Ts’ong after his masterclass in Rome with Danuta Aloisi(Duda),Ileana Ghione and Linda Alberti The Ghione Theatre – S.Pietro Rome

Duda – gone with the wind to a far better place than even she could imagine

Francois-Frédéric Guy ignites the soul of Fou Ts’ong’s piano at the Razumovsky Academy.

Francois Dumont remembering the genius of Fou Ts’ong at the Razumovsky Academy

Sergei Prokofiev’s  Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29, subtitled D’après des vieux cahiers, or After Old Notebooks, was composed in 1917 and premiered on April 17 the next year by the composer himself in Petrograd The work was dedicated to Prokofiev’s late friend Maximilian Schmidthof, whose suicide in 1913 had shocked and saddened the composer.

1. Allegro molto sostenuto
2. Andante assai
3. Allegro con brio,ma non leggiero

In his notes accompanying the full set of recordings of Prokofiev’s sonatas by  Boris Berman David Fanning states the following:

Whether the restrained, even brooding quality of much of the Fourth Sonata relates in any direct way to Schmidthof’s death is uncertain, but it is certainly striking that the first two movements both start gloomily in the piano’s low register. Allegro molto sostenuto is the intriguing and apt marking for the first, in which a hesitant and uncertain mood prevails – the reverse of Prokofiev’s usual self-confidence. The Andante assai second movement alternates between progressively more elaborate statements of the opening theme and a nostalgic lyrical episode reminiscent of a Rachmaninov  Etude-tableau; finally the two themes are heard in combination. With the rumbustious finale Prokofiev seems to be feeling himself again. But for all the gymnastics with which the main theme is varied there is less showiness in this essentially rather introvert work than in any of the other piano sonatas.

Another great lesson from a Master. Alexeev’s long awaited return to The Chopin Society UK with the second half of his programme dedicated to Chopin with a very eclectic choice of shorter works many of which are rarely heard these days.

Dmitri Alexeev at the Chopin Society London

But it was the first half with a daring choice of Rachmaninov’s first sonata.that revealed the true greatness of one on the finest pianists of our time.
A modesty and dedication to others that has been a rock for so many aspiring young musicians. Dmitri and Tatiana like the Craxtons in my day creating an oasis that is a workshop for pianists prepared to dedicate their youth to their art.

But put Maestro Alexeev on stage with just him and eighty eight keys and a tornado is unleashed of such overwhelming power of communication. A conviction of ravishing beauty that after all the wonderful pianists I listen to this is the only one that I felt myself having to hold back a tear as his message penetrated so directly and deeply into my being .

He can create a cocoon of sound which envelopes all those in range and there is no escape for us or for him. A great roof of sound in which anything is possible. It was the seemingly impossible that we heard with sumptuous sounds of Philadelphian proportions that would dissolve leaving just a plaintive voice emerging like a jewel from this magic land.
Of course Dmitri has lived with this music for a lifetime and this usually fragmented and much misunderstood masterpiece suddenly came together with overwhelming power and beauty

A work that had even left Rachmaninov and his colleagues with doubts as he like Schubert or Liszt had broken away from convention in trying to create a new form made up of leit motives that permeated the entire structure creating a unified whole of devastating emotional effect.
It was Kantorov who recently showed us the way with extraordinary effect and many students are changing their choice from n.2 (Horowitz inspired ) to n 1 .
But it took the mature mastery of Alexeev to show us such a clear path where words are superfluous as it is MUSIC that can and should arrive in places where words cannot reach.
In retrospect Inferno and Paradiso come to mind but unlike Liszt , Rachmaninov’s morose Russian soul chooses to finish with a final glimpse of Inferno.(Liszt having changed his mind and substituted his original blazing ending for one of the most sublime inspired pages in the piano literature.

All this sprang to mind unconsciously as the menacing opening to the sonata hit us in the solar plexus with unexpected vehemence such was Alexeev’s identification with Rachmaninov’s world. Paradise with a chorale of purity and beauty but permeated with nostalgia .A throbbing monotone of unimagined emotional power whether whispered or passionately intoned linked these two worlds.

The second half was all Chopin with three nocturnes, those less frequently heard, with op 48 n 2 not n 1, or op 27 n 1 not it’s famous twin n 2 both linked by one of Chopins last works op 62 n 2.
Alexeev showed us what it means to play with weight that like Cortot or Perlemuter are fingers that are like limpets never leaving the key but sucking the life blood from the depths within each one. Horizontal playing in which ungrateful ugly sounds are just not part of the equation that is of poignant significance and deep meaning.
The F sharp minor op 48 was played with radiance and beauty with a beguiling central episode of subtle insinuation. The deep bass notes of the E major op 62 allowed a glow to the bel canto with the knotty twine of counterpoints just adding to the profound meaning but never overpowering the sublime musical line. There was a chiselled beauty to the C sharp minor op 27 on it’s magic cloud of changing harmonies taking us unawares to a passionate climax before dissolving to the consilitary coda of calming beauty and a great wave of sounds taking us to barely whispered chords.

A link to the three Nouvelle Etudes was provided by the most elegant and French of all Chopin’s works, the G flat Impromptu .Of course Rubinstein had this French elegance but Alexeev showed us an equally ravishing world of beguiling charm wrapped in velvet , where the beauty of the central outpouring in the bass reached the sublime.
The three Nouvelle Etudes were for Chopin part of his treatise with Fetis that was unfinished on his death and was bequeathed to his friend Alkan to complete. They are three studies published after his death that are designed to incorporate a juxtaposition of rhythms and also legato and staccato touch.
I think these may also be described as ‘canons covered in flowers’ as the ravishing beauty of flowing sounds filled the air with intoxicating freshness. No thought of three against four was even conceivable or for that matter two against three .The charm and delight of the third belied the difficulty of playing legato and staccato with the same hand at the same time. Such was the beguiling charm and beauty of Alexeev’s playing where communication took precedence over any mundane technical considerations .
Five Polish songs by Chopin in Liszt’s wonderful transcriptions where as for those of Schubert become art works in their own right. I have heard only one of them in public often played as an encore by the older generation of pianists who alas are no more.

A glorious outpouring of songs with a sumptuous sense of balance from the sublime to the ridiculous with the final song gliding across the keys with the refined ease of a Master

Three encores two of Chopin : the op posth nocturne in C minor and a Mazurka op 7 n. 3 in F minor and a final glimpse of early Rachmaninov again with his sumptuous Melodie op 3 https://youtu.be/yNUvAGXwj08?feature=shared
So we had come full circle in a recital that thank God was recorded for posterity and will go down in history .Mitsuko Uchida does not approve of her live performances being recorded because she says a performance should remain in the memory as a thing of beauty and not a printed photo that with time will fade .

All those present will not forget the privilege to be part of such music making and it is thanks to three remarkable ladies: Lady Rose C ,Gillian Newman and Lisa Peacock who are able to persuade one of the greatest musicians of our age to leave his studio and share his music with a public starved for too long.

We live in an age where quantity rather than quality is the norm .It was Gilels who likened live music to the difference between fresh or canned food .
Too often we hear performances of note picking perfection rather than the risk of discovery where the public is an integral part of a voyage in music and true communication. Horowitz complained that the younger generation are frightened of showing their feelings and Cherkassky simply said he did not think they listened to themselves. Horowitz after the death of Bolet said :”We are the last two left” . They both would be relieved to know that these two pianists from the great school in Odessa at last have a true heir in Dmitri Alexeev .
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Dmitri Alexeev The supreme mastery and anguish of a tormented soul

The 2024 Chopin Festival produced by Janusz Sikora Sikorski. A sumptuous six hour feast where the wonderful smells from the POSK restaurant were nothing compared to the refined perfumed sounds from a new Steinway piano that now sits so proudly on the stage of their theatre and last night was brought magnificently to life by four superb pianists .

The refined intelligence and sumptuous beauty of Dominika Mak in two of Chopin’s greatest works : the Fourth Ballade and Barcarolle were even overshadowed by her miraculous performance of the Mazurkas op 59 .
There was a wonderfully produced programme with fascinating articles by Alan Walker and Norman Davies but no actual programme of the concert.

A magical mystery tour it was indeed with a very youthful looking Mateusz Dubiel singing his heart out with one of Chopin’s most passionate of Nocturnes op 55 n.2 before plunging into a masterly account of the B minor Sonata op 58.
An interval was needed at this point like in a sumptuous feast where a sorbet is essential before continuing with such delicacies.

Piotr Pawlak on his very first appearance in London astonished us all with not only masterly accounts of the first three Scherzi but joined them into a unified whole by improvising transitional passages that could take us on a magic carpet from B minor to B flat minor to even the distant land of C sharp minor .A tradition that has been lost where pianists are no longer kapellmeisters but merely servants to their instrument.

Last was the ‘ Boadicea’ of the keyboard Aleksandra Świgut opening with an Andante spianato of such whispered ravishing beauty that the simplicity of the appearance of a mazurka in its midst came as a liberation from jewels that were strewn with such artistry over the keys . We had heard some wonderful performances but this was the one that most shadowed Prof John Rink’s vivid description of Chopin’s own playing .

All these wonderful performances followed on from two illustrated talks ;the first of which was Lady Rose Cholmondeley’s fascinating and magnificently presented tale describing the ‘Mysteries surrounding Chopin ‘ . Slipped disc could take a leaf out of Lady Rose’s learned and almost forgotten BBC professionalism as she recounted many secrets that she had discovered about Chopin the man and was prepared to divulge to us today.

Prof Rink a much respected Chopin Scholar, Cambridge Professor and International Jury member ,took us on a tour of four of Chopin’s most significant early works , not only demonstrating at the piano but also with performances by Nelson Goerner of the introductions of op 2,13 and 14 .Also of Kochalski playing with great freedom the famous Nocturne op 9 n 2 .Nelson is a great friend of mine as was that other Nelson :Freire whose 80th birthday it would have been this week but for a cruel fateful destiny three years ago left us too early.
https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2021/11/02/nelson-freire-rip/

I did find the Krakowiak in Nelsons interpretation rather slow for the Andantino quasi Allegretto indication and am used to hearing the much forgotten Stefan Askenase. There is also a wonderfully aristocratic timelessness to Rubinstein’s performance of op13 with Ormandy and the Philadelphia. Time was against us to discuss further which I would dearly have loved to do with such a renowned and dedicated expert. So many mysteries to unravel in Chopin’s scores apart from his times and heritage so expertly dealt with by Lady Rose

As if this was not enough there was the opening of an exhibition of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw from its first edition in 1927 where even Shostakovich had competed but Lev Oborin won ( his pupil Vladimir Ashkenazy was to win second prize at the 5th edition in 1955 -Fou Ts’ong third together with the Mazurka prize much to the astonishment of the Polish people who thought it was only they that could understand Chopin’s ‘canons covered in flowers’ !).
https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2021/01/13/roberto-prosseda-pays-tribute-to-the-genius-of-chopin-and-the-inspirational-figure-of-fou-tsong/
1960 saw an 18 year old Pollini at the helm and an even younger Martha Argerich in 1965 and leading in chronological order to the present day with the charismatic mastery of Buce Liu who was immediately recognised by the critic Jed Distler in the very early stages as playing the Variations on ‘La ci darem la mano’ with the same beguiling sensitivity and mastery as Prof Rink described Chopins own performance when Schumann pronounced ‘Hats off gentlemen,a genius’

It was a nice touch to finish the Gala performances after such a glorious full immersion of Chopin with Aleksandar Swiguts all or nothing masterly account of these very variations that had put Chopin on the map on his arrival as a teenager in Paris and Vienna

Impeccable living Mozart as Queen Bodicea drives her flaming chariot to meet Grieg.Salas,Swigut,Pastuszka and the (Oh!)Orkiestra take Warsaw by storm

Dominika Mak Refined music making of intelligence and clarity