United Kingdom R. Schumann, Nicodé, Schubert, Beethoven: Simon Callaghan (piano), Martin Roscoe (piano), Lot Music 2024 at Truthful Oak Farm, Mayfield, East Sussex, 16 & 20.7.2024. (RB)
I attended the Lot Music Course at Truthful Oak Farm in East Sussex in July. This idyllic setting supplied an ideal backdrop for a feast of music making from the individuals and two excellent recitals from the tutors, Simon Callaghan and Martin Roscoe.
16.7.2024 – Simon Callaghan Recital
R. Schumann – Arabeske, Op.18; Carnaval, Op.9
Jean Louis Nicodé – Phantasiestücke, Op.6 (Nos. 1 and 4)
Simon Callaghan’s recital centered on Robert Schumann whereas introducing us to the music of Jean Louis Nicodé. The latter was a Prussian composer who wrote within the latter a part of the nineteenth Century and early a part of the 20 th century. He was closely influenced by Schumann however with out having the sooner composer’s distinctive voice and creativeness.
Callaghan’s efficiency of Schumann’s Arabeske was trendy and expressive. The rippling opening part moved alongside briskly with Schumann’s poetic sensibility coming to the fore. Eusebius gave solution to Florestan within the following two sections, and I appreciated the sense of edginess and disquiet which Callaghan dropped at the music. The piece ended on a be aware of rapt dreaminess.
Schumann’s Carnaval is likely one of the greatest identified and most carried out of his early piano works. It depicts masked revellers at Carnival, a competition earlier than Lent. Schumann offers musical expression to the totally different sides of his persona, to his pals and colleagues together with Clara, Chopin and Paganini, and to the characters from the commedia dell’arte.
As soon as once more Callaghan did a superb job capturing the manic sides of Schumann’s persona. The opening chords have been arresting and authoritative, commanding consideration from the viewers. The next vivo part was extremely virtuosic whereas giving vent to Schumann’s risky manic-depressive aspect. The characters from the commedia dell’arte emerged from the rating as vibrant, coquettish and capricious. The portraits of Chopin, Chiarina and Estrella have been delightfully drawn whereas Paganini was a virtuoso tour de drive. Callaghan noticed the Prestissimo marking in ‘Papillons’ and in so doing displayed breathtaking finger-work whereas ‘Reconnaissance’ had rhythmic bounce and vitality. Callaghan appeared prepared to take dangers on this efficiency and this had the impact of energising and revitalising this nice staple of the repertoire.
I loved listening to the 2 items by Nicodé: the primary was extremely agitated and the second extra lyrical with elfin Mendelssohnian textures. The music is clearly indebted to Schumann and deserves to be carried out extra broadly.
20.7.2024 – Martin Roscoe Recital
Schubert – 4 Impromptus D899
Beethoven – Sonata in C minor, Op.111
Martin Roscoe opened his recital with the primary of Schubert’s two units of Impromptus. These items have been written in 1827 in direction of the tip of the composer’s brief life. Solely the primary two items within the set have been printed throughout Schubert’s lifetime.
I used to be struck by the muscularity of the enjoying, the large dynamic contrasts and Roscoe’s extraordinary means to make the piano sing. The C minor Impromptu opened in dramatic vogue with unison octaves. The distinction with the following hushed unaccompanied melody was startling. Roscoe allowed the piece to blossom out organically because the melody was remodeled from a march like funereal theme into a type of moments or uncommon lyrical enchantment in Schubert. The triplets which opened the Second Impromptu in E-flat cascaded down the piano in a carefree means. The modulation to E-flat minor was startling and I used to be notably struck by the extraordinary change in color. Roscoe’s efficiency of the coda to the piece was incendiary and made me take into consideration the novel nature of this music. Roscoe remodeled the G-flat Impromptu right into a luminous music with out phrases. One couldn’t assist however be swept up in Schubert’s attractive melodies. The arpeggios which open the ultimate Impromptu in A-flat have been superbly formed. Because the melody emerged the music grew to become extra playful and infused with Viennese allure. As soon as once more Roscoe emphasised the large dynamic contrasts on this piece. The center part was extremely agitated and turbulent, and one might hear the composer’s howls of anguish.
Beethoven’s remaining Piano Sonata in C minor is likely one of the most radical works within the repertoire. It was written in 1822 and it’s distinctive in the way in which it appears to fuse music and philosophy. Beethoven used the important thing of C minor for a few of his most turbulent items and the primary motion of the sonata opens on this key. This offers solution to the hymn-like Arietta of the second motion the place the music turns into extra ethereal.
Roscoe performed the opening of the sonata, with its memorable diminished seventh intervals, with appreciable dramatic drive and impression. He made no try to disguise Beethoven’s discords, reminding us of how trendy this work is. He introduced out the sense of battle and battle within the contrapuntal episodes whereas the weather of harmonic shock and darkish whirling menace of the textures have been conveyed brilliantly. The seraphic second motion opened in a peaceful meditative vogue. Roscoe paid shut consideration to tempo relationships all through this motion. The heart beat remained regular all through and the composer’s subdivision of be aware values was allowed to take impact naturally and organically. The well-known ‘boogie-woogie’ variation was just a little slower than another interpreters, but it surely was a lot better built-in into the musical narrative. Within the remaining variation, the musical grew to become more and more ethereal as Roscoe appeared to commune with the divine.
Total, these have been each first-rate recitals which succeeded in illuminating nice staples of the repertoire in new and unique methods.
Robert Beattie
