The Chapel was filled to capacity for a well-selected programme comprising Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy for the piano by Jan, a Form 5 music scholar. Jan opened with Beethoven’s allegro molto e con brio in C minor, and astounded the audience with the immense speed at which he played the piece, giving it a brisk pace that posed no challenge for his fingers. Each style was characterised attentively with fantastic touch, particularly the contrast between darkness of the minor primary theme with the elegance of the secondary theme. Jan’s ability to switch between these moods captured the essence of the Sturm und Drang brilliantly. A wonderful rendition.
Next in the programme came Chopin’s Nocturne in B major, which by no means disappointed. Completely different in its style, Jan adapted to bring out the romantic elements of tension and release through an amazing use of rubato, and every moment of pause was controlled perfectly.
Finally came La Cathedrale Engloutie. Jan really did Debussy justice here, giving every chord and note its own space, allowing them to ‘ring out’ as would the bells of the cathedral Debussy aims to depict throughout the piece at a gentle, yet apt tempo. What a wonderful way to end such a phenomenal showcase of excellent musicianship. Well done Jan.
As always, all the lunchtime recitals can be watched here.
