Past Performances

Anna Fedorova

3rd October 2021

Anna Fedorova visited Shrewsbury in October 2021 and performed in the beautiful church of St Alkmunds to a capacity audience who gave a standing ovation at the end of her recital. She started her recital with a ravishing performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata before playing a selection of Nocturnes and Waltzes by Chopin...

Chopin: Waltz Op. 18 in E flat major

Chopin: Nocturne in C# minor, Op.27 No.1

Chopin: Nocturne in Db major Op.27, No.2

Chopin: Waltz Op. 34 No. 1 in A major,

Chopin: Waltz Op. 34 No. 2 in A minor

Chopin: Waltz Op. 34 No. 3 in F major

After the intermission, Anna played all four Chopin Ballades, an unusual achievement in a single recital, and not for the faint-hearted! These are some of the most passionate and technically challenging of Chopin's works. Late autumn sunshine proved troublesome, but nothing a few strong volunteers from the audience couldn't sort out by moving the piano! This was a fabulous recital from a pianist rated in the top 10 world classical pianists. Her passion and modesty won the audience's heart.

Elisabeth Brauss

Elisabeth Brauss played in St Alkmunds Church in November 2021, a programme she repeated a few days later at the Wigmore Hall. She had recently finished her time as a BBC New Generation Artist and had just won the Terence-Judd Halle Award, which involves performing with the Halle Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder.

Elisabeth chose a programme to illustrate the development of the Sonata form, beginning with Mozart's haunting Sonata No.8 in A Minor, written soon after the sudden death of his mother while she was travelling with Wolfgang. She then played Ravel's Sonatine and finished the first half with Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No.3, also in A Minor. After the interval, she gave a ravishing account of Brahms' Four Piano Pieces Op.119 and finished with Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Carnival Scenes from Vienna), Op. 26.

Elisabeth not only looks like an angel, but plays like one, too. She has a delicate and sensitive touch, but can easily deliver bravura and acrobatics on the keyboard when the music demands. Undoubtedly a star of the future. Her Mozart is divine. She has a generous nature and plays with all her heart. She said she would happily play her recitals for free, I suggested she didn't necessarily mention this to her agent.

Nikita Lukinov

Nikita Lukinov is probably the most talented young Russian pianist of his generation. Now aged 23, he studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. He played for us in 2022 at St Alkmunds church. The Kawai baby grand at this church does not really do justice to the world-class quality of pianists that Shrewsbury audiences can attract. Nonetheless, the sound coming out of that tiny piano was both astounding and divine. Nikita played Tchaikovsky, 8 pieces from op.72, Scriabin, Valse op.38 and finished with Prokofiev, ‘6 pieces from Cinderella’ op.102.

The Shrewsbury audience adored this recital and warmed to Nikita's kind nature and his passionate perfomance. Such was the rapturous response from the audience that Nikita has been invited back this autumn!

Shrewsbury Helps Ukraine

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Peter Barritt decided to organise a weekend of musical events in Shrewsbury to help raise funds for the humanitarian relief fund DEC Ukraine. The Keyboard Charitable Trust kindly put out a message to the young artists it assists, to ask for volunteers to play without charge in support of the victims of war.

Three pianists volunteered their services and a series of recitals in St Alkmunds Church, St Chads Church and Shrewsbury Abbey were performed during April 2022.

Pietro Fresa

Pietro Fresa gave his first recital In 2017 at St Chads Church when he was aged 17. This was the very first Shrewsbury International Piano Recital. At that time he played Debussy's Images Book 1 and Pour le Piano L25, followed by a peerless performance of Beethoven's Sonata No.21 "The Waldstein" Op.53. In the second half he played Chopin's Ballade No.2 and finished with Schumann's Sonata No.2 Op.22. He was rewarded by a standing ovation from a packed audience and raised over £1000 for rebuilding a school in Nepal destroyed by the earthquake.

Subsequently, Pietro moved to London to study at the Royal College of Music and completed the four-year Bachelor Degree course in a mere two years, obtaining a First Class Honours Degree. He returned to Shrewsbury in 2019 to give a recital in St Alkmunds Church. He played Mozart's Sonata No.12 in F, followed by the 3 Intermezzi by Brahms Op.117. He concluded his recital with Chopin's Ballades No. 2 and 4 and his 3 Mazurkas Op.33.

In April 2022, Pietro kindly offered to help raise funds for DEC Ukraine. Pietro has become a firm favourite in the town.and Pietro said: “I find the idea of playing for Ukraine a beautiful idea, and I really love the people and environment in Shrewsbury”. Pietro played The Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 by Brahms and the Andantino from Schubert'a penultimate sonata D959. As before, Pietro's recital was a triumph and the concert was concluded by a superb performance of the Faure Requiem by St Chads Choir.

As a vote of thanks, Pietro will be invited back to perform for us in 2023.

Maria Linares

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Maria Linares is a young Spanish pianist from Valencia, currently studying at Birmingham Conservatoire. She offered to play two recitals at St Alkmunds Church as she was preparing for an important competition in Barcelona, The Maria Casals International Competition.

In her first recital she played Scarlatti's Sonata in E Major K.380, Sonata in B Minor K.27 and Sonata in G Major K.427, followed by Iberia (Book 1) by Albeniz. She finished the recital with a beautiful rendition of Chopin's Barcarolle Op.60 and Scriabin's Sonata No 4 Op.30.

In her second recital, delayed by her catching COVID, she played Bach's Prelude and Fugue No.4 and Debussy's Etude No.5. We were then treated to more ravishing spanish music from Catalan (The Miniaturas Prosopopeyicas) and from Albeniz, The Cantos de Espana Op.232. Appropriately, she finished with Liszt's Spanish Rhapsody S.254. By this time, Maria had built a considerable fan base, some of whom vowed to pray for her success in Barcelona. Despite doing great justice to her talent, divine intervention was conspicuously absent when they awarded top prize to someone else.

We follow Maria's career with our interest and best wishes.

Dinara Klinton

Dinara Klinton is a famous international soloist, as well as a Professor at the Royal College of Music in London and the Yehudi Menuhin School. As a Ukrainian, she was disappointed not to be able to make the Shrewsbury Helps Ukraine weekend, so a recital was organised shortly after at Shrewsbury Abbey (pictured). She gave a peerless performance of Beethoven's last piano sonata, followed by one of Prokofiev's War Sonatas written during World War Two, his Sonata No.8 Op.84. She concluded with an emotional tribute to the suffering of her homeland by playing Rachmaninov's Vocalise Op.34. This was a recital to be treasured, full of melodies and passionate emotion. A masterclass in performance.

She was due to play on a Steinway which had been planned to be moved from the Gateway Arts Centre, but this plan was abandoned at the last minute, so she had to make do with the Abbey's Danemann piano. The latter had probably never sounded so good, a strange internal vibration the only sign of its great excitement in its advanced years.

The final amount raised by the pianists who played free of charge to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine was just under £20,000, once the amount raised was matched by the UK Government. Thanks to St Alkmunds Church, St Chads Church and Shrewsbury Abbey for providing the venues, volunteers and facilities without charge as their kind contribution to humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

Nikita Lukinov

The first recital in the Autumn 2022 season was performed by Nikita Lukinov, appearing at short notice to replace Mariam Batsashvili who is expecting her first child. This is Nikita's second recital for us this year and I leave our local music critic Andrew Petch to describe his recital in the Alington Hall on September 25th 2022.

Nikita presented a programme of works all of an amazingly high octane! All were hugely demanding, both technically and emotionally; Mr. Lukinov met these challenges magnificently.

Nikita is a formidable talent; he was recognised as a young musician in his native Russia and gave his first performance with a symphony orchestra at the age of eleven! He has since studied in London and, since 2017 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes Op13 opened the recital; these are beautiful pieces ranging in character from the melancholy to the dynamic, passionate outbursts which Schumann saw as opposite aspects of his own personality. The contrast is especially apparent in the move from Etude 11 marked “Con espressione” to Etude 12; the longest piece, marked Allegro brilliante. These pieces showed Mr. Lukinov’s amazingly controlled dynamics as well as a beautiful silvery touch; there was a passion in his playing which showed us just how much he loved his chosen works.

Finally, Nikita played Liszt’s mighty Sonata in B minor. This must surely be one of the most challenging works in any pianist’s repertoire; this astonishing young musician gave us a fully mature rendition showing us all the qualities which had graced his performance of the Schumann Etudes. It is no exaggeration to say that the audience was spellbound by the playing. Their approval was equally enthusiastic by the two miniatures, one by Scriabin, the other by Tchaikovsky, which were welcome encores.

This was a recital which will live long in the memory; Nikita Lukinov is surely destined for a distinguished career."

Andrew Petch

Daniel Lebhardt

Daniel played the second recital in the 2022 Series on Sunday 30th October in St Chads Church, on an afternoon bathed in autumn sunshine. He played two Beethoven Sonatas including the Appassionata with an incredibly difficult Schumann Toccata sandwiched between. The audience was spellbound throughout. He began by playing the rarely played Sonata No. 22, less dramatic than the Appassionata but equally original and perfectly formed. Daniel's performance of the Appassionata was full of passion, confidence and understanding of the turbulent period in Beethoven's life when it was composed. I don't believe we will ever hear a better performance of the work.

Daniel is Hungarian but has lived and studied in the UK for the past 12 years, most recently at the Birmingham Conservatoire. He has already established an international career, having performed in Europe, The Far East and both North and South America. He has a very wide repertoire which stretches from Bach to Bartók and beyond. Daniel has already played seven times in the Wigmore Hall as well as appearing with orchestras in Symphony Hall, the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall. As with most of our top performers, he shows modesty, a good heart as well as a fierce work ethic and desire to do justice to the music he so passionately loves.

After the intermission, Daniel played Schubert's Drei Klavierstucke (Three Piano Pieces) D 946 which beautifully demonstrated his phenomenal technique and dense concentration as well as his ability to make the piano sing with divine melodies. As an encore, Daniel performed Schubert's Hungarian Melody, an apt ending with a nod to his homeland. Daniel found the audience inspiring with its complete silence, concentration and deep appreciation of the beauty of some of the finest piano music ever written. This is the beauty of live music, when performer and audience journey together through sublime works. Daniel thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Shrewsbury and, like all our young stars, would return at the drop of a hat.

Maria Linares

Shrewsbury favourite returned to the first of our new series of free Tuesday lunchtime recitals for young international stars still in tertiary education, run in conjunction with Jeremy Lund and `Caroline Thewles from St Alkmunds church.

Maria played completely new repertoire on Tuesday 14th February 2023. As always, she galvanized the audience with her lively playing and outgoing personality. She started her recital with a ravishing account of Chopin Nocturnes Op.62, Nos.1 and 2 and followed these with the Russian composer Medtner's Sonata Romantique No.1 Op 53. After this she gave wonderful accounts of Schubert's Impromptus Nos.3 and 4 D 899. She finished her recital with a scintillating rendering of Scriabin's Sonata No.4, Op.30.

Maria continues her studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and we wish her all the best in her future career. If our audience is any guide to her blossoming talent, she has the ability to make a great impression and the 100+ people who turned up were, as ever, not disappointed.

Milda Daunoraite

The 21 year-old Lithuanian prodigy Milda Daunoraite made her first, and hopefully the first of many, visits to Shrewsbury to perform in the St Alkmunds Tuesday lunchtime recital series on 28th March 2023. This is the second of four recitals for exceptional young international pianists still in tertiary education. Milda currently studies at the Royal Academy in London on a full fees scholarship under Professor Tessa Nicholson, and she has already won numerous international competitions, as well as performing as a soloist at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Milda is remarkable for appearing to relish music stretching from baroque to contemporary repertoire.

Milda earned a standing ovation for her recital, which was absolutely deserved. The audience loved her playing, technically brilliant with interesting interpretations and a beautiful singing tone bringing out melodies. Her playing was completely faithful to the period during which the piece was composed. She seemed as comfortable with the baroque of Bach, as she was with the funky atonal rhythms of Bartok. Beethoven's Sonata "Les Adieux" was colourful and beautiful, with Milda's sensitivity and full dynamic range with all the necessary bravura when the music demanded. Her Scriabin Sonata No.2 was full of divine harmonies which sang out from the baby Kawai grand piano, the instrument clearly revelling in Milda's sensitive touch and sumptuous dynamics. Finishing on the funky Bartok just helped to illustrate the breadth of her musical understanding and empathy with different ages in which her programme was written. As Bartok himself hoped, his style sounded a definite advance on Schoenberg's, IMHO.

Milda sounded like a world-class pianist in the making, and we wish her the very best of luck in the years ahead. Shrewsbury audiences have an impressive knowledge of classical music, with performers commenting on the silence and rapt attention they sense when playing in the town. Soloists who generate magic from this interaction, as Milda did, are very special indeed.

Shunta Morimoto

Shunta Morimoto played at St Alkmunds Church on 9th May 2023 at a lunchtime concert for young international pianists still in tertiary education. Aged just 18-years-old, Shunta has already performed at top venues in Japan, the USA and Europe. In 2022, he won the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition and has, since then, been performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beethoven's 4th and Liszt 1st Piano Concertos. Shunta currently studies and lives in Rome, and he kindly fitted in a recital in Shrewsbury after performing over the weekend with the RPO.

Shunta plays with intense concentration and musicality, he disappears into his own sound world and was oblivious to the background noise of the town (reversing lorries, wailing ambulances, mobile phones). Each piece on his programme was played with great respect for the composer and for the era when it was written. He seemed as comfortable playing the baroque of Rameau as the spiky Sonata No.5 by Scriabin. His rendering of the Mozart C Minor Fantasia was magical. When rehearsing he sings along with the melodies, not so when performing, a perfect combination. The best pianists can make a piano sing, and certainly the baby Kawai sounded the happiest it has ever been under the caress of Shunta's fingers. I was glad to hear that learning the C Minor Sonata was on on the horizon, often played at the same time as the Fantasia, and one of Mozart's most divine works. By comparison, the 7 Fantasien by Brahms were lush and striking, full of emotional energy. Able to show keyboard acrobatics when required, the Scriabin Sonata No.5 was played with complete accuracy and bravado. Shunta's command of the keyboard is truly astonishing, as is his maturity in interpreting the music. An old head on very young shoulders. The Shrewsbury audience was delighted and astonished by this recital, such incredible playing from a young man still in his teens. What a future beckons for this bright, modest and hugely talented pianist. Thank you Shunta for giving a recital that will live long in the hearts for all those lucky enough to hear it.

Matthew McLachlan

Matthew McLachlan played his first recital in Shrewsbury at St Alkmunds Church on Tuesday 17th October 2023 at 1pm as part of the International Piano series from students still in tertiary education. Matthew is a British pianist who has studied at Wells Cathedral School, Chethams School of Music and currently at the Royal College of Music in London. Matthew is a sensitive performer who gives great thought to his interpretation. He plays to honour the composer and not himself. He started with Beethoven's Sonata No.16 in G Major, Op.31 No.1 and gave an animated performance of Beethoven finding his feet in the sonata form and developing his own startling style. He followed with a magnificent performance of Chopin's Scherzo No.2 in B Flat Minor Op.31. With early nerves settled, Matthew gave a wonderful dynamic range and singing tone to the composition. Sounding full of confidence, the recital moved on to the fiendish Scriabin Sonata No.4 which Scriabin explained in a subsequent poem as "I swallow thee, Sea of light." Matthew's interpretation was certainly a sea of sound. Matthew ended playing Liszt's Vallée d’Obermann, and it was an atmospheric and technically brilliant performance full of subtlety and flambouyant colour. The 80 strong audience, with the depth of musical understanding typical of Shrewsbury audiences, showed their enthsiastic appreciation. Well done, that lad.

DINARA KLINTON

Dinara Klinton returned to Shrewsbury to perform in St Chads Church on Sunday 22nd October 2023. Our local music critic, Andrew Petch takes up the story...

Shrewsbury’s St. Chads Church was the venue for an afternoon recital by the distinguished Ukrainian pianist, Dinara Klinton. It was the second event in Shropshire Music Trust’s new season, organised with the help of Dr. Peter Barritt, who over recent years has brought some fine young pianists to discerning Shropshire audiences.

This was an elegantly planned and presented event and Dinara Klinton’s playing was a revelation. Possibly the most famous trilogy in the history of classical music, Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, were the featured composers. Dr. Barritt had researched the lives and work of these giants of 19th century music and gave a valuable introduction to each composition.

From the first notes, it was clear that Dinara has a natural affinity for Schumann’s music; she produces a sound of bell-like clarity which makes Robert’s music instantly recognisable. The opening Arabesque was a brilliant example of his use of contrasting moods of hope and despair, the pianist’s brilliant sound pallets and amazing dynamics brought out the contrasting emotions perfectly.

The same qualities were in evidence throughout the eight pieces of Fantasiestucke, for each of which there were excellent programme notes and the dreamy self was musically set against the desires of a man “at the height of his passions”-and the power and passion of the pianist was awe-inspiring.

Three Romances from Clara’s limited output followed. Robert saw Clara’s compositions as proof that they must marry. These are exquisite works, the proof to Robert that they were soul mates, and they were given beautifully sensitive performances.

Finally Brahms appeared. His huge second Piano Sonata in F sharp minor completed the recital. Programme notes helpfully explained how the work departed from the format of earlier composers of the genre. This was a monumental revelation of a fantastic work which is in four sections which merge straight into one another. The power, the lyricism and the subtlety of Dinara’s playing brought this memorable recital to a triumphant end, though an encore of Robert Schumann’s Romance was well received.

Many thanks to Andrew for letting us use his expert review.

KYLE HUTCHINGS

Kyle Hutchings played in St Alkmunds on Tuesday 14th November 2023 at lunchtime. Kyle is an interesting pianist, as he only began learning at the age of 12 after his grandmother gave him a CD of classical music. There are no musicians in his family and he taught himself the piano and then gained a scholarship to study with internationally acclaimed pianist Richard Meyrick.

Kyle is an intense pianist who specialises in the First Viennese School of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. His playing is thoughtful and profound, playing faithfully in the style of the era when the works were composed. Kyle began with a sublime rendition of Mozart's Sonata No. 17 in B flat Major K.570. This sonata was written when Mozart's fortunes were in decline, some 2 years before he died aged 35. It is a work full of subtle contrasts and beautiful harmonies that Kyle picked out with delicate artistry. There is no showmanship in Kyle's playing, just a deep and sensitive rendition of the radiant beauty of Mozart's genius. The Beethoven Sonata No. 30 in E Major Op.109 is also a late work, full of complex melodies characteristic of late Beethoven. The impressive aspect to Kyle's performance was the over-riding understanding and vision of these sonatas in their complex entirity. Late works often represent the pinnacle of the composer's achievements, and these two sonatas are classic examples of the visionary achievements of these two incredible classical composers. Kyle concluded his recital with an encore, Schubert's Impromptu No.2 in A Flat major D.935 Op.142, played with his typical subtle grace. Thank you, Keyboard Charitable Trust, for recommending such extraordinarily talented youngsters.

SHUNTA MORIMOTO

Shunta Morimoto returned to St Alkmunds Church for a lunchtime recital on Tuesday 12th December 2023, and his return was greeted by a spell-bound audience of over 100.

Shunta began his recital with a bonus piece he had recently learnt, the profound Chopin Nocturne Op. 55, No. 2 in E flat. He then played Mozart's divine C Minor Sonata K.457, a follow-on from Mozart's C Minor Fantasia K.475 which Shunta played for us in May. Mozart only wrote two piano sonatas in the minor key. This sonata is thought to have inspired Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata in C Minor and is full of fire, passion and sombre mood. Shunta has such a deep understanding of profound music, playing such a delicate pianissimo and using the piano's full range with his astonishingly faultless technique, It is customary in live music to hear the odd mistake but Shunta doesn't seem to make them, even to experienced ears sitting in Shrewsbury audiences. Mozart wrote this sonata aged 28, having married Constanze two years earlier and already lost their first child, Raimond, at age 2 months. We may hear different interpretations of this sonata but, in my opinion, we will never hear a finer performance of this sublime work.

Many young pianists perform works defined by their teaching Professors, but Shunta is already selecting works he wishes to study, and Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze is a case in point. This composition is a mature work of Robert Schumann, composed after Carnaval and his Symphonic Studies. Robert wrote that Clara was his sole motivation for writing the 18 variations in the Davidsbündlertänze, named after a musical society Schumann belonged to. Robert said they were an expression of his passionate love, anxieties, longings, visions, dreams and fantasies. Indeed

the theme of the Davidsbündlertänze is based on a mazurka by Clara Wieck. Shunta's performance was full of orchestral colour and of striking dynamics, sometimes lush and at other times strident and passionate. Considering the age of the performer and the size of the piano, the sound was phenomenal and beautiful.

Shunta finished his recital with Vers la Flamme (Toward the Flame), one of Scriabin's last compositions for piano written in 1914. Scriabin believed the world would ultimately be destroyed by fire, and this piece is written in homage to the concept. The composition is notoriously difficult, yet Shunta seemed unphased and his performance could only be described as triumphant. What a pianist! What a performance! This charming young lad is quite obviously a genius. Lucky, lucky Shrewsbury,

RENATA KONYICSKA

Renata Konyicska played her first recital in Shropshire on Tuesday 30th April at 1pm in a packed St Alkmunds Church. She started with Schubert's Impromptu No.4 Op.90, played with subtle dynamics and a lush tone. Many of us wished we could hear Renata play the first three Impromptus too. She then gave us a beautiful and soulful rendering of Liszt's rarely played Valse-Impromptu S. 213, finding Liszt in a subdued and contemplative mood.

The main work of the recital was a magnificent performance of all the 24 Preludes by Chopin Op.28. To my mind, playing all the Preludes in one performance is the best way to appreciate the depth and emotional variety of some of Chopin's greatest compositions. He composed many of the Preludes in the Royal Palace of Valldemossa in Mallorca. The Palace had originally been built in the mountains to help the King's poorly son who suffered from asthma, unfortunately to no avail, as his son died soon after. Chopin had been told by his doctors that he would not survive another winter in Paris with his tuberculosis. He went with his partner George Sand to Mallorca hoping for warmth and sunshine but spent a rather miserable time there, as it rained continuously, and the piano was slow to arrive. The locals took a dim view of the unorthodox and unmarried couple. Nonetheless, the solitude and peaceful surroundings inspired Frederic and he found deep inspiration there.

Renata has a deep love of Chopin's music, and her playing reflected this. Her rubato was subtle and melodies sang in prolonged harmonies. The audience seemed spellbound by the beauty of her playing, which was unhurried and full of pathos. Shrewsbury audiences have a reputation amongst performers of being rapt and silent, and musicians find this remarkable and inspiring. A standing ovation was immediate as Renata completed her recital and, once again, we were treated to a performance of unforgettable beauty in the divine setting with the fabulous acoustics of St Alkmunds. Thanks, as always, to Caroline Thewles and Jeremy Lund for organising their weekly concerts in the church. Before we let her go, Renata performed an encore of Smetana’s Polka in F major from the 1st Book of Czech Dances. It may be Renata's first performance in the county, but very unlikely to be her last.

Elisabeth Brauss

Elisabeth Brauss returned to Shrewsbury to play in the Maidment Auditorium at Shrewsbury School on Sunday May 5th 2024 for an afternoon recital for the Shropshire Music Trust. What a superb piano recital from the German Maestro, with the audience spellbound from beginning to end. Starting with Beethoven's Piano Sonata "The Hunt" with the final movement played faster than I have ever heard, obeying Beethoven's instruction of Presto con Fuoco it was indeed played rapidly with passion and fire. Next a selection of pieces by Prokofiev, played with such enthusiasm and superb technique that must have made Prokofiev smile in the heavens.

After the interval, Elisabeth explained to the audience her love of Schumann's Carnaval, the characters involved and the complexity of Robert's personality. Elisabeth's account was like hearing the piece for the first time, always a sign of great musical integrity and original interpretation.

Since her last recital in Shrewsbury in 2021, Elisabeth has gained strength, both in her inner conviction and the depth of her dynamics. Her pianissimo is as light as a feather but her technique in faster and louder passages is immaculate. She has become a global star, and quite rightly so. She told the Shrewsbury audience that she was inspired by their quiet and intense concentration. Quiet they may have been, but not at the end of this brilliant world-class performance when a standing ovation greeted this modest musician. As an encore, Elisabeth played Chopin's Minute Waltz, underlining the breadth of her repertoire and the beauty that springs from her magical fingers.

Victor Maslov

Victor Maslov gave his first recital in Shropshire on 25th June 2024 in St Alkmunds Church, Shrewsbury. He appeared courtesy of the Keyboard Charitable Trust (KCT), a world-wide charity that supports the most promising international pianists early in their careers. Previous beneficiaries of the KCT include Evgeny Kissin, Anna Fedorova, Mariam Batsashvili and Paul Lewis, to name but a few. The KCT have recognised the support given by Shrewsbury audiences to young international pianists and have offered to sponsor two recitals a year in Shrewsbury from some of their most gifted artists.

Victor is a 25-year-old Russian pianist who has been praised as “one of those people who is close to all-round mastery of his repertoire” by the New York Concert Review, following his recital at Carnegie Hall, New York. Victor has appeared as a soloist at such renowned venues and festivals as the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cadogan Hall, Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire, Smetana Hall and Rudolfinum.

Victor plays with authority and confidence, concentrating on playing to his very best and honouring the composer and the time in which it was written. He started with Haydn's Sonata in B Minor, written in the late 18th Century. The sonata is full of innovation and melancholy and Victor's playing showed the full emotional depth of the work.

Many of us were new to Janacek's Pieces from An Overgrown Path and it was helpful that Victor gave us some background to these atmospheric pieces. Members of the audience commented afterwards how much they had enjoyed hearing them for the first time.

Finally, Victor played the 8 Etudes-Tableau Op.33 by Rachmaninov. This music is not for the faint-hearted performer. The final four Etudes, in particular, are virtuoso pieces that call for unconventional hand positions, wide leaps for the fingers and considerable technical strength from the performer. Each piece has an individual mood and passionate character that pose musical problems that demand a strong technique. Victor seemed unphased and gave a masterful account of these fiendishly difficult compositions.

If Victor is anything to go by, the KCT recitals in Shrewsbury should prove a veritable feast of talent. Victor is an intense and modest pianist who plays with total commitment. This was a recital to savour and remember.

Maria Linares

The brilliant and popular Spanish pianist, Maria Linares, returned to play in St Alkmunds Church on Tuesday 15th October 2024 at 1pm. This was her fourth recital in Shrewsbury, having played two recitals to help raise humanitarian funds for Ukraine. There were some 120 fans in the audience, attesting to her popularity from previous performances. She has a lovely personality that shines through and captures the listener's heart. She arrived in 2022 as a promising young student from the Birmingham Conservatoire, but we have been able to see her developing into a fully-fledged artist, and her latest repertoire seemed to suit her creative strengths.

Maria started with Bach's French Suite No.5, one of his most romantic compositions written in 1722 when he had fallen in love with, and married, his second wife Anna Magdalena, by whom he would have 13 children. Anna Magdalena was a celebrated soprano and a great support to Johann's career. Maria has a beautiful touch on the piano, her playing full of the joie de vivre and her mischievous sense of humour.

Having wooed us with delicate charms of the baroque, Maria moved into the beautiful realms of Mozart's Piano Sonata No.7. The sonata was written in 1777, when Mozart was aged 21, but not published until after his death. It has become popular over time because of its technical brilliance and emotional depth. Maria seems to have found her home in the classical repertoire, her playing sparkling with tenderness and love of the music. She treats the keyboard with great sensitivity and creates a wonderful world of sound, subtle and ravishing.

Maria finished her recital with a nod to her homeland. In the music of Albeniz, Maria is like a skilled flamenco dancer, carrying us abroad with Spanish verve and rhythm. The audience were showered with unexpected Meditteranean sunshine to conclude her sumptuous performance. This is the exciting part of nurturing young musicians, to see them grow into artists with individuality and. musical integrity. Excelente rendimiento, Maria!

Alim Beisembayev

“There is no pianist under the age of 30 I would rather hear,” claimed the Daily Telegraph’s critic about the prodigiously talented Alim Beisembayev. And on the evidence of the declaratively beautiful yet understatedly masterful recital on the Maidment Auditorium’s Steinway, who could disagree? Here, in the latest edition of Shrewsbury’s excellent International Recital Series, was playing that entered the bloodstream with hypnotic power, blessed by absence of ego alongside a generous and close embrace of the music itself.

His programme hovered within the hinterlands between classicism and proto-Romanticism, spinnning webs that swayed with lively and resiliently tensile tempi, gleaming with intricate fingerwork and the zest that this repertoire deserves. He began with Haydn’s famous Variations in F minor but, ubiquitous this may be among pianists, he brought a unique freshness to his interpretation which served as a dextrous springboard into the main fare of the first half, Beethoven’s Sonata No.7 in D major. Thematically linked to the opening Haydn, this is Beethoven’s first proper outing of his genius and the young Kazakh inhabited its varying moods and atmospheres with commanding accomplishment. Beisembayev never lost sight of the overarching conception of its musical thought and its art, from the fizz of its opening, the slow heart-break of the middle, then the spritzy Minuet that culminated with a Rondo and final full-throttle whizz of its concluding Presto. He gathered its ending into the ether with a sublime disappearing act that wisped, as the piece began, into nothing. Total class.

The second half saw a return to Haydn - Sonata No 31 in A minor, an earlier work than the Variations - but shot through with all the inventive wit, grace and sense of drama that characterise the Sonatas. The same classical rigour defined his conception of Schumann’s Kinderszenen that followed, in a deft exploration of the roots of German Romanticism - deeply felt, powerfully sung, musing but never over-indulgent.

Beisembayev brought the recital to an end - and the house down - with another set of Variations, this time by Brahms on a theme of Paganini. It was like watching a controlled explosion unfold in slow motion but somehow, impossibly, in real time. Smokingly virtuosic - one imagined the Maidment’s sprinkler system might spark any moment - this was a tour de force finale that showed exactly why he is at the forefront of the new generation of world pianists. A supreme talent we were lucky to glimpse on his way to the bigtime. Bravissimo!

Review by James Fraser-Andrews.

Axel Trolese

The Italian pianist Axel Trolese visited Shrewsbury on Tuesday 26th November 2024 to perform for the first time in Shropshire, arriving hot-foot from playing his debut recital in London at the new Bechstein Hall. This recital in the Tuesday lunchtime St Alkmund series was the first recital sponsored by The Keyboard Trust and the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation, who plan to support two Shrewsbury International Piano Recitals per year, in recognition of the welcome given to young international pianists by the town.

Axel comes highly recommended from his homeland, where he is a regular recitalist and esteemed teacher. His programme was influenced by his recent achievement of reaching the second round of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. Axel explained to the audience that his programme demonstrated how the piano has been used to illustrate different genres of music. He started with J.S. Bach's Italian Concerto, with the piano acting in orchestral fashion. As the first movement got underway, it was obvious that we were listening to a master of his craft, with immaculate technique, light pedalling and melodies singing from both hands. Repeats were adorned with intricate and subtle ornaments and variations in dynamics that seemed effortless and added to the freshness of his interpretation. The slow movement was achingly beautiful, played in a manner faithful to the period yet full of colour and interest. No surprise, then, to learn that Axel is a keen student of period instruments such as the fortepiano and harpsicord. The final movement was played with infectious enthusiasm, full of joy. What future pleasures await us as Axel delves into the vast treasure trove of Bach's music for keyboard!

Next up, from the baroque we moved to the watery depths of romantic repertoire of Franz Lizst, exploring the beautiful fountains and gardens of the 16th Century Villa D'Este in Tivoli near Rome. There were handfuls of notes pouring out of the piano in cascades of sound, soaking the audience in torrents of notes. Those of us lucky enough to have visited the Villa were reminded of the sculptural beauty of the gardens and fountains, which Lizst visited on three occasions. Axel then switched from the heavenly to the demonic Transcendental study in F minor which he played with seemingly effortless bravado.

In my limited experience, it is rare to find a young pianist equally at home with Bach and Rachmaninov but it was the breadth and complexity of Axel's repertoire that was so impressive in his recital. With technical challenges seemingly brushed aside, he could concentrate on the essence of the music, taking the audience with him on an exhilarating adventure. Rachmaninov Etude-Tableau? No problem.

Axel has a deep love of French and Spanish music. He has recorded the complete Iberia by Albeniz and he played a composition based on the life of a busy fishing port, busy with sounds of a fish market and a young girl singing. Why an Italian feels so grounded in the dance and passion of Spanish music is a mystery, but Axel relishes their music and passion.

St Alkmunds was not only full of an enthusiastic audience but characteristically bathed in winter sunshine. It was something of a jump of faith to get into the mood of the gothic world of sinking mermaids, hangmen and the night terrors of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit. Ravel is Axel's favourite composer and he relished disappearing into this spooky sound world, full of foreboding.

Finally the recital ended with the flourish of De Falla's Ritual Fire Dance, played with customary panache and passion. The Shrewsbury audience was on its feet, having enjoyed a world-class performer at the top of his game. The audience has no intention of letting Axel go without an encore and we heard the hauntingly beautiful

Canción y danza no 6 by Federico Mompou. The simple beauty of the piece was a perfect end to an outstanding performance from a musician bound for greatness. Thank you Keyboard Trust and Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation for sending such a treasure for Shrewsbury to enjoy.