Welcome
April 22nd, 2008
The Marlow Recital Society has been established by Roy Cadman and his wife Carole to combine the delights of great piano music with the pleasures of good food and wine in the informal environment of their home, Vine House, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Outstanding young pianists, at the start of what is likely to be an international career, play classical music by a wide range of composers. During two long intervals a buffet supper is served accompanied by a selection of excellent wines. The recitals start at 7.30pm. Chopin and Liszt performed in similar circumstances in their day, all be it at the pinnacle of European society!
Ticket Sales - Look at the right hand side of the bottom of this page. Under “Pages” click on “Ticket Sales”.
Recital Dates - Click on “Future Recitals” under “Pages” on the right hand side of the bottom of this page.
For full details of the next recital scroll down this page.
If you would like to be kept informed of future recitals, please send your e-mail address to -
marlowrecitalsociety@yahoo.co.uk
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The recitalist on the 27th March will be Philippa Harrison
Her programme will be -
Mendelssohn - Prelude and Fugue in E Minor
Liszt - La Leggierezza
Rory Boyle - Capriccio on the Anniversary of a Beloved Master
Debussy - Ce qu’a vu le vent d’Ouest, Preludes, Book 1
Beethoven – Sonata No.30, Opus 109
Scarlatti – Sonata in F Major, K.44
Debussy - Images, Book 1
Liszt - Rigoletto, Concert Paraphrase
Philippa Harrison was born of a musical family in 1985 and has lived most of her life in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. She began playing the piano at the age of four and at eight won a scholarship to study at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. She studied there, firstly with Monola Hatfield and Norma Fisher and later with Murray McLachlan eventually winning an entrance scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study with Joan Havill. She is now on the Postgraduate MMus course at the Guildhall after completing the Undergraduate BMus (Hons) degree in July 2008.
As recitalist Philippa has given many solo and chamber music concerts throughout England and has performed in Norway as part of the Tromso Festival. As concerto soloist she has played with the Chetham’s Orchestra at the Royal Northern College of Music and with the Bolton and Sussex Concert Orchestras. At the Guildhall she has performed in the Beethoven and Scarlatti sonata series and also in the Liszt Society Day recitals.
In November 2008 Philippa won first prize at the Worthing Concerto Competition. In January 2009 she was a prizewinner at the Oxford Recital Competition and in March Philippa won second prize at the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition.
Philippa is supported by the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers, the Stationers’ Peter Rippon Award, and an Ethel Schwarz Bursary and by the Nichol-Young Foundation.
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The recitalist on the 23rd January 2010 was Christopher Sayles
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His programme was -
Bach - Prelude & Fugue in C minor, Book1
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.21 in C major ‘The Waldstein’
Brahms - Zwei Rhapsodien Op.79 No.1
Schumann - Das Abends from Fantasiestücke Op.12
Chopin - Scherzo No.1 in B minor Op.20
Schumann - Arabeske Op.18
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor Op.57 ‘The Appassionata’
The very newly acquired Pleyel grand piano had not had time to settle into its new home, let alone the tuner and technician bring it up to recital standard. (This will be resolved for the March 27th recital) Christopher Sayles is to be commended for risking his considerable reputation by playing an instrument not yet ready for a performance. As the recital progressed the piano seemed to loosen up and the rich tone of the instrument was realised.
The recital began with the Bach Prelude and Fugue in C minor, then moved up several gears to Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata. Here we heard more of the potential of the piano and the quality of the pianist. In the bravura of the third movement Christopher was able to draw wonderful sounds from the piano and excite the audience.
Clearly, Christopher Sayles enjoys playing Brahms; in the Rhapsodies he showed the piano who was in charge and the piano responded more and more. His performance of Schumann’s Das Abends was simply beautiful and in the Chopin Scherzo we were treated to the kind of quality performance we have come to expect at these recitals.
The quality was maintained in the Schumann Arabesque, and in Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata we had a wonderful climax to the evening. Following that was a challenge Christopher responded to in his Rachmaninov Prelude encore, which blew our socks off.
The recital gave great pleasure. Christopher Sayles surely has a bright future. Would I pay money to hear him again? Without a shadow of a doubt, YES!
A. H.
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The recitalist on the 14th November was Madalina Rusu
The ‘Old Thunderer’ - Liszt of course, excelled way beyond mere drama. The Mephisto Waltz number one, which concluded the recital, embraced a wide gamut of emotion and tempo, demonstrating power, control and a sure touch that delighted the audience.
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The recitalist on the 5th September was Edward Pick
Lutoslawski Study no. 2
Interval
Bach French Suite no. 5 in G BWV 816
Chopin Etude in E flat minor op.10 no. 6
Chopin Nocturne in C minor op. 48 no. 1
Edward Pick Etude no. 1
Interval
Schubert Drei Klavierstücke D 946
His programme was -
Bach - Partita in C minor
Chopin - Etudes, Op. 10, Nos. 8 & 10
Chopin - Nocturne in B, Op. 62, No. 1
Franck - Prelude, Chorale et Fugue
Chopin - Scherzo No. 4
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
It was a warm evening and the beautiful garden was full of colourful blossoms. During the intervals excellent food and wines were available in generous measure. Add to that the engaging personality of a very sociable pianist who introduced the works before he played them and mingled with the most appreciative audience during the intervals and it was a night to remember.
James Willshire’s programme covered a considerable musical spectrum. The precision and formality of the Bach partita contrasted with the challenging dynamics and intensity of the two Chopin etudes, most admirably executed as if they presented no difficulties at all.
The charm of the Chopin nocturne led to César Franck’s masterly Prelude, Chorale and Fugue - originally conceived as a prelude and fugue in the style of Bach. James skilfully incorporated the Bach influence with hints of Beethoven, Wagner and Liszt in the classic Franck programme of a struggle from darkness to light.
The furious fun of the Chopin Scherzo no. 4 led us to the drama of Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. This challenging work was performed with great skill and passion, edged with speed and lightness of touch for the water sprite Ondine, the solemn and gruesome scene at the gibbet, complete with tolling church bell and finally the fiendish and furious machinations of the evil spirit Scarbo and his gradual demise.
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The recitalist on the 18th April was Alexander Ullman.
His programme was
Bach - French Suite no. 6 in E major
Beethoven - Sonata in F major Op 10 no. 2
Bach - Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor, Book 2
Chopin - Etudes Op 10, nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 12
Liszt - Reminiscences de Don Juan
The wide spectrum of composers and musical styles provided a splendid vehicle for Alexander Ullman to demonstrate his very considerable technical and interpretive skills at the piano. The Bach and Beethoven were crisply portrayed with just the right tempo, gravitas and spirit.
The Chopin Etudes were positively joyfully executed, demonstrating the full range of Chopin’s genius. The final work in Alexander’s programme, Liszt’s Reminiscenses de Don Juan, was both formidable in its technical demands - which seemed to present no problems at all, and encompassed Liszt’s incredible range of barnstorming emotion, tear jerking passion and thrusting joie de vivre. Had the audience been Liszt’s contemporaries in Paris or Budapest the ladies would have swooned and the gentlemen been mopping their brows. Alexander richly deserved his ovation and confirmed the Curtis Institute’s wisdom in awarding him a scholarship to study there in the autumn.
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The soloist on the 7th February, 2009 was Mark Viner.
His programme was:-
Haydn: Sonata Hob. XVI:32
Liszt: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude
Schumann: Etudes Symphoniques Op.13
Alkan: Symphony Op.39 for solo piano
Mark Viner, a current student of Neil Immelman at the Royal College of Music, performed a delightful programme at the February piano recital.
By the close of his recital, it was hard to believe that this pianist only began playing a few years ago. The maturity and depth of his performance captured the audience throughout the evening.
The introductory piece was Haydn’s Sonata Hob. XV1: 32. The joviality in this piece was highlighted by an articulate, light touch that lasted the length of Sonata.
The mood sombered with the Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude and showed the dramatic side of this pianist. We were taken on a journey of colour, texture and meditation as the hymn-like melodies intertwined with almost story like-features.
The Schumann Etudes Symphoniques Op.13, for solo piano was well-suited to the intimate atmosphere where the expressive movements and thrilling conclusion involved the audience. We became aware of the link between Liszt and Schumann as Mark led us on our journey from Haydn, Liszt, Schumann and finally Alkan.
Mark Viner concluded with a treat: a Symphony by Alkan. After the introduction by Roy Cadman who highlighted the complexity of what we were about to hear, the atmosphere in the room was tense with excitement and anticipation. The pianist certainly had his work cut out for him - very few performers have ever attempted Alkan’s compositions; they are some of the most fiendishly difficult ever written. We were not disappointed. The complexity of the symphony was obvious, and the result was incredible; the audience were hypnotised. Alkan’s innovative ideas were played with articulation - it was impossible to be unimpressed by the rigorous modulations and speed of the work. The symphony was played with such vigour; it felt as if the keys were on fire! Audacious, some may have thought, for such a young and relatively new pianist to be attempting such a feat, but Mark Viner most certainly lived up to being one of the most exciting British pianists of the younger generation; the audience thought so and burst into a roaring applause at the end of the recital. - V.M.
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The soloist on the 22nd of November was Manon Ablett.
Her programme was
Beethoven - Sonata No. 8 Op. 13 Pathetique
Chopin - Scherzo No. 4 in E major
Brahms - Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2 in A major
Chopin - Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor
Liszt - Sonetti di Petrarca nos. 47 & 104
Rachmaninoff - Preludes
No. 12 in G sharp minor, Op. 32
No. 7 in C minor, Op. 23
No. 10 in B minor, Op. 32
No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 23
Manon Ablett’s performance of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata set a level of technique and musicality which showed that we were in for a treat. The playing of the first movement was magisterial and passionate by turns, the cantabile of the second was achingly beautiful and the final Rondo played with such clarity that it reminded us how close in time were Beethoven and Mozart.
Scriabin - Waltz in F minor, Op. 1
Scriabin- Poem in F major, Op. 32, No. 1
. . . . . . . . Album Leaf in E major, Op. 45
Medtner - Sonata Reminiscenza in A minor, Op. 38, No. 1
The capacity audience was enchanted by Evelyne’s performance. The Beethoven positively hummed with life and vigour. Schumann, the great romantic, toiled for six years in writing his 2nd sonata. It is a complex amalgam of the composer’s sensitive lyrical side - his love for Clara Wieck, and his intense rhythmically complex persona. With the fiendishly fast tempos in the first movement and a virtuoso finale, Evelyne Berezovsky demonstrated her exceptional technical skill tempered by a remarkable control and fine sense of rhythm. The final work in her programme, the Medtner sonata, was a rare opportunity to hear a major composition by this little known Russian younger contemporary of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. Medtner should be heard more often.
Her programme was
Chopin - Prelude in C sharp minor, Op.45
3 Mazurkas, Op.30
Ballade in F major, Op.38
Scarlatti - Sonatas - C major, K 159; F minor, K 499; E major, K380
Chopin - Scherzo in B minor, Op.20
Debussy - Suite Bergamasque - Prelude, Menuet, Claire de lune, Passepied
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Magdalena was a harbinger of much joy for the capacity audience. Perhaps her Polish birth allowed her some additional insight into her interpretation of the Chopin where her full yet sensitive performance captured the magic, drama and joie de vivre that makes Chopin’s work such a lasting pleasure. Scarlatti wrote for the harpsichord. However the crisp rhythms transposed admirably to the piano. Claire de lune must be one of the most well known and loved items in the whole piano repertoire. Magdelana’s Debussy demonstrated how well that position is deserved.
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On Saturday 9th June the international prize winning Russian pianist Petr Limonov performed the following programme.