October 2006

Dear Music-lover,

Our October concert introduced a well-filled Town Hall (perhaps illustrating the latent demand) to the first piano recital we have promoted, on the brand new Bosendorfer 214 grand piano – and what an introduction! It was given by Ivan Ilic, who turned out to be a very personable American pianist with an easy manner and a formidable technique.

I suppose I shall have to get used to the foibles of soloists: usually, half an hour before the performance, a quartet is in the ante-room, going through the music, tidying hair, sipping juice: Ivan was still in Alison’s (his hostess’) house - and decided to have a shower! OK, his timing allowed me a whole 5 minutes, in which I could breathe again, without being haunted by the thought of amusing the audience with my version of “Chopsticks”, but….

And it was entirely my fault that I approved the wrong version of the programme. He had emailed me a couple of weeks previously with some changes but I hadn’t told the printers. As it is, his introduction of the works from the stage added to the evening. I especially enjoyed his words before the final piece, the demanding Liszt 'Variations on a theme of Bach':- "I'm not going to tell you anything about this piece... but I'm going to take off my jacket!”

The concert was also memorable for the world premiere of a Piano Sonata by John L. King, a shy young American who was at the concert and who kindly said a few words about the work. Cleverly placed after the Handel Suite and a Haydn Sonata, and before the Debussy Preludes, it made me think, “Which was the more 'modern' piece – the King or the Debussy?”

Ivan’s intense performance was hugely appreciated by the audience whose long applause was rewarded with another Debussy prelude. Again, the audience would not let him go, and as he sat down for another prelude for his second encore, he said, “You’d better be careful – I know a lot of these preludes!”

It was a tremendous baptism for the piano, a delight for our audience who have awaited such a recital for so long and augurs well for our season.

On 15th November, the new piano allows us to promote Peter Evans (piano) and Ulrike Fenner (violin) whose programme includes the wonderful Sonata in A by Cesar Franck, inevitably known as the "Frank Sinatra".

See you there,

Paul Crowe