FESTIVAL REVIEW - Maria Marchant
THURSDAY’S coffee concert was a piano recital of pure joy. It is sometimes said that concerts consisting of one instrument only are very much the same but this was certainly not the case with Maria Marchant whose playing was so wonderfully expressive. Whether presto or largo, fortissimo or pianissimo, staccato or legato, the mood of the music was clear and precise from beginning to end.
Opening with Mozart’s Fantasia in C Minor, the scene was set for the performance with the many contrasts of the piece seemingly effortlessly displayed at the hands of a master. The piece may have been intended as a prelude to a sonata but it is a delightful little gem in its own right and it was a privilege to hear it.
Two nocturnes from Chopin followed which continued the idea of contrasts. The first having a feeling of darkness and storm whilst the second was much brighter and calmer.
Poulenc’s “Trois Pièces” brought us into the 20th century with a frivolous “Pastorale”, an almost traditional “Hymne” and a highly-agitated “Toccata”. As expected by now the pieces are quite contrasting in all ways but the highlight must be the toccata which requires vituosic playing in extreme and Maria seemed to revel in it.
We might have expected work by Liszt to be ponderous after such animation but this was not the case. His Années de Pèlerinage – Venezia e Napoli fared well in the theme of contrasting moods. Consisting of three movements the work conjures up pictures of different aspects of Venice and Naples. The third (Tarantella) uses the whole extent of the keyboard at a rate of knots and at times gives an impression of more than two hands being available. A tour de force for any pianist but today’s recitalist was conqueror.
A return to Chopin for a more gentle, though no less complicated, encore was warmly welcomed by a near capacity audience.
Sheila Johnson
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
