Music at Lunchtime: A Super Piano Recital

This week’s Music at Lunchtime Recital was given by Form 7 Music Scholar, Jan, performing music for solo piano. Jan’s programme of music by Chopin, Rachmaninov and Ravel blew the audience away with its pianistic virtuosity and his committed artistic delivery.

Jan began his programme with Ravel’s renowned Jeux d’eau. As well as proving himself equal to the piece’s technical demands, Jan beautifully recreated the music’s ambience, its moments of stillness and ebb and flow, and the magic which makes the work an audience favourite today. Jan’s second piece in his programme was Rachmaninov’s Prelude in D major, op. 23 no. 4, which he performed with great expressive warmth and richness of tone. Jan’s recital finished with Chopin’s popular Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, op. 31, a work which paired drama and theatricality with cantabile melodies and rippling accompaniment figures. With a programme of three demanding pieces of concert repertoire for solo piano, Jan’s performance showcased great technical skill and musicianship.

Jan is delighted to be performing his programme again in the final of the Coach House Pianos School Piano Competition on Sunday 5 March, selected as one of six students from across the country- good luck to Jan!

Our lunchtime concerts take a break for half-term; our next recital is on Wednesday 22 February, when the chamber choir will be performing music by Philip Moore and Ēriks Ešenvalds.