After a busy day, a relaxing and top quality four hands piano recital was welcome, and duly given by pianists Emma Abate and Julian Perkins at King’s Lynn’s Town Hall, writes Andy Tyler of the Lynn News.
It was part of The King’s Lynn Music Society’s current season and was enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience.
These fine musicians have given keyboard duet recitals at many prestigious venues both here and abroad, and have several recordings available. They are currently in the process of recording the complete Mozart Piano duets for the Resonus Classics label on period instruments.
The recital I attended consisted of music by Mozart, Clementi, Weber, Ravel, Grieg, and a composer best known to me as a music broadcaster, Stephen Dodgson, who sadly died in 2013.
His delightful Tournament for Twenty Fingers, consisting of five short pieces, was played, as were the other works in the programme, with sparkle and sensitivity where appropriate
Some pieces in the programme are fairly well known, (movements from Ravel’s Ma mere l’Oye and two of Grieg’s Norwegian Dances), but others less familiar, the Clementi sonata for instance and Huit Pieces by Carl Maria von Weber. One of the Huit Pieces (the Allazingara), was later used by Hindemith in his Symphonic Metamorphosis on themes by Weber.
Clementi was a rival of Mozart and took part in a piano playing contest with him. The result was a draw!
No contest over this concert, however; great ensemble playing from both performers!
