The planned song recital to be given by the Icelandic mezzo-soprano Gudrún Ólafsdóttir did not take place due to a very late cancellation by the singer due to a throat infection. We are indebted to Michael Hampton, the pianist in this recital, for arranging a replacement concert at very short notice in which he was joined by the viola player Matthew Jones (the Bridge Duo) for an interesting programme of works mainly by English composers.
They commenced with a Romance by Vaughan Williams, a lyrical piece in this composer's idiom. This was followed by four pieces by Frank Bridge: this was attractive salon music in which Jones provided a warm, mellow tone, particularly noticeable in the third songlike piece. A major work came next, Arthur Bliss' Sonata inspired by the famous viola player Lionel Tertis. This was a demanding work in which both performers came through with flying colours. The energetic sections were effective as were the more lyrical events which Bliss included within each movement and, in total, a convincing and impressive performance.
After the interval the duo performed an arrangement by the celebrated Russian viola player Vadim Boriskovsky of excerpts from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet. Considering that the original version of this music was written for a large orchestra, these transcriptions proved to be surprisingly effective: Jones and Hampton successfully conveyed the essence and atmosphere of these pieces.
For the final two items in the programme we returned to works by English composers. Rebecca Clarke's Morpheus is a most attractive piece, well constructed and balanced, no doubt due to Clarke having been a viola player herself, in which the opening section in which the viola player uses the mute was sympathetically performed by Jones. The final work in their programme was a Phantasy by York Bowen in which a light-hearted first section was balanced by the middle section more in the English Romantic style and a more relaxed third section before the rapid and exciting finale: in this both players acquitted themselves well, particularly in maintaining the balance in the louder, more intense passages.
It was disappointing that we were denied the unusual and interesting song recital planned for this occasion, but in the event the Bridge Duo provided an acceptable and enjoyable alternative concert for members.
LO
The March recital, given by the young and talented Russian pianist Sophia Lisovskaya, was an exciting and stimulating event. She commenced with the sixth Partita for keyboard by J S Bach in which her lively approach breathed musical life into a composition that in less enthusiastic hands can be little more than an arid technical exercise. Her considerable dynamic range immediately became apparent with a positive approach to the improvisatory nature of the initial Toccata and clear handling of the fugal passages. Her forthright rendering of the earlier movements was complemented by the light touch she used for the Gavotte, and her execution of the canon passages in the final Gigue was notable.
This was followed by Schumann's well-known, if not hackneyed, Arabesque. Lisovskaya gave us an unusually idiosyncratic performance with much rubato in the main sections of the work, contrasted by the more serious central section. Your reviewer enjoyed this approach as a welcome change from the rather bland renderings more often given - it was certainly in the Romantic spirit - but perhaps too individualistic for some!
Next came four of Chopin's Nocturnes well executed and understood. In particular the beat was maintained during the highly decorated passages (not always achieved) and the strong contrasts asked for in Chopin's scores were well marked. Special mention also for her scrupulous observance of the staccato base in the second Op 48 Nocturne, which in performance can be blurred by use of the sustaining pedal.
The high point of the evening, however, was Lisovskaya's performance of the complete set of 13 Preludes Op 32 by Rachmaninov. Here her Russian training was evident in what can only be described as an authoritative and commanding performance of these invigorating scores. Exceptional virtuosity and poetic sensitivity are called for in these pieces, as would be expected from a composer who was a world-standard pianist of his day. Lisovskaya negotiated the fearsome technical difficulties which abound with ease and assurance and displayed the strength needed for the fortissimo passages notably in Nos 1 and 6. The very rapid finger-work required in No 3 was clearly executed and the dance-like atmosphere of No 11 well captured. The better known and romantic Nos 5 and 10 were given appropriately lyrical renderings, and she concluded the set in a suitably sombre vein for No 13 which is marked 'Grave' by the composer although there is a contrasting, rapid centre section. This was undoubtedly an exciting and authentic performance by Lisovskaya in which the spirit of Rachmaninov and Russian Romanticism were strongly evoked. For encore she gave us some Scriabine (requested by your reviewer!), reflecting the excellent performances on her CD of this composer's work.
LO
The young Russian pianist Irina Lankova, now living in Woking, gave the opening concert of the Society's 2008/09 season to a large and enthusiastic audience in the Kemp Room on Sunday 12 October. She commenced her recital with a forthright and confident performance of the well-known early Op 3 Prelude by Rakhmaninov which bore all the stylistic hallmarks of the famous Gnessin Music College in Moscow from whence she graduated in 1996 with highest honours. She continued with four of Rakhmaninov's Op 23 Preludes in which the contrasting moods of these works, reflecting those of the composer himself, were most effectively conveyed, from the wistful nature of numbers 4 and 6, in which the important inner parts were clearly heard, to the martial number 5 and the furious and virtuosic number 7.
Two works by Chopin followed, both large scale dramatic pieces far removed from his popular salon music. In the Op 48/1 Nocturne with its tempestuous central section of pounding octaves Lankova gave a performance full of the drama which this work needs to be effective, and in the first Ballade Op 23 the romantic nature of the work with its contrasting passages of serenity and excitement was well realised.
The initial work after the interval was Skryabin's Op 28 Fantasie, an attractive piece which, composed before he developed his 'mystic chord' which pervades all his later works, reflects the Chopin style although with a Russian flavour. Irina Lankova demonstrated her sympathy and understanding of this unique composer, notably in the long legato phrases and unusual bass accompaniments he uses.
The final work in the programme was Chopin's third Sonata, a serious and demanding work in which Lankova rose to the challenges presented by this music. The long and varied first movement was successfully accomplished, the following Scherzo was given the required lightness of touch and the soulful Largo which follows on directly from the Scherzo realised the poetry inherent in this music. The finale, marked Presto, non tanto, seemed a little too rapid for clarity but this is a minor quibble in what was a masterful performance of this uneven work.
For her encore, Lankova played the famous Fantasie-Impromptu of Chopin, a most agreeable tailpiece to our initial concert which was evidently much enjoyed by the audience.
LO