In this time of online media replacing the live event due to the curent pandemic, Manchester's RNCM have joined the webspace with a series of concerts being performed live inside the RNCM building but to an empty auditorium, or perhaps just a handfull of invited guests. This is 'Live From The RNCM'. However last Thursday saw them start a new initiative still as part of the same series: 'Thursday Lates'. Here each section of the school has a concert dedicated to themselves to highlight and showcase just one small section of what goes on behind the RNCM's closed doors. These Thursday Live concerts are only available to watch online each Thursday via their website, and this first concert featured the piano.
The first piece of the concert was played by current student Luke Jones, and he chose J S Bach's French Suite no 5 in G (BWV816). Jones has been playing Bach for many years and has a great connection with and understanding of his music. For me, Bach needs a lightness of touch, a sense of continuence and flowing, an ability to highlight the melody above the ornamentation, and a need to make the music sing and varied. Bach, again for me, has a tendency to sound rather mechanical and sounds rather player-piano-like if one is not too careful. Jones clearly had solid technique and engaged with the piece superbly. I am not a huge fan of the Baroque period, and so perhaps I am harder to please than most when it comes to music from this era.
The piece is in 7 short movements, all contemporaneous French dances. The piece takes us from a rather stately 'Allemande', through a Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, Bouree, Loure, and finally ending with a clever 'Gigue' fugue.
The next piece was composed by alumnus Sebastian Winter, who completed his studies at the RNCM only earlier this year and has now gone back home to his native Germany. Written during lockdown, this piece for two pianos called 'Silver Lining' was written as a direct response to Winter's feelings and those of his friends and fellow students during the first part of this COVID lockdown. This wasa a world premiere performance this evening and was played by Jason Lam and Adam Swayne, and although it was difficult to listen to, it did seem to mirror quite accurately the mental state of how many of us were, and perhaps still are, during this period of confusion, uncertainty and fear. There are moments of discord pitched against fast running passages with breaks / pauses in unconventional places. Thickly notated, with chords crashing like the waves of the mind, juxtaposed with moments of stilllness and thought. Despair versus hope.
The final three pieces were all performed by Italian pianist and current RNCM student, Giulia Contaldo. The first of these pieces was a work I know well, but hade until now never heard it played by solo piano before. Arranged by Borwick, she played Debussy's wonderful and evocative 'Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune'. My first thought was that a solo piano would be unable to capture the colours, the depths, the sheer Romanticism and diversity of timbre that a full orchestra could, but I was pleasantly surprised; much of the feel and intensity of the piece was still there, and it was clear that Contaldo had a wonderful connection with this piece too. Very enjoyable.
Then for the highlight of the evening, for me at least. A short 'Grande Etude' by Liszt. King of piano composition (title in contention...!) Liszt had here taken a theme by Paganini and given it his own personal treatment with true flourish and extravagance. Called 'The Tremolo' for good reason as the left hand has its work cut out. Passionate, Romantic, flourishing bravura writing, matched by Contaldo's skillful and stylish playing.
The final piece, the shortest of the concert, returned to the Baroque era, and a composer who is seemingly only ever known in the context of his piano works, Domenico Scarlatti. Indeed, he was a staple for me as a youth having piano lessons myself, and I hated them, him, and my teacher for forcing me to play them! Here Contaldo showed us that she can play light-hearted and ebullient music too, keeping the sonata light, bright and effervescent.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 1/10/20
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