Gig-a-Blog™ (Annett Busse, St Anne & St Agnes)

Monday, 10 December 2007

Annett Busse (piano): works as listed/misspelt/etc below.

I was delighted to hear that Annett Busse was doing this recital, covering at short notice for the previously-announced Haydn Dickenson. This isn't because I have anything against Mr Dickenson! Far from it: as I've never heard him, this would seem somewhat unfair. No, it's just that previous experience tells me to expect a superb, absorbing recital from Busse, and I can look forward to hearing Dickenson another time, when he's all better. An exquisite twist in the tale here is that it turns out that Ms Busse is also Mrs Dickenson (or rephrase to suit your politics as required) which means it's really pretty cool having a kind of two-way inhouse depping service.

Couperin: Four pieces from the "Troisieme Ordre"

1. Graceful, lilting
2. Charming, minuet-like, courtly
3. Darker, slower, poised. Gorgeous middle section, ah, in fact it's not exactly the middle section, it's one of a set of variations. Or something. Help, I'm lost. Anyway, it's nice, whatever it is structurally.
4. Lively, bouncy, and to be honest slightly fussy melody executed with dramatic, exciting precision by this great player. But I think I need to work on my Couperin Love a bit, perhaps.

Czerny: Toccata Op. 92

Rumbustious but classy end-of-the-pier sounds. No, really! (You may laugh but one day these writings will dominate the world of musical criticism. It's just that they haven't sent me the date yet.)

Schubert: Klavierstuck in Eb major D946

Lovely, warm sound. Great piece. Makes for a really, good solid pivot in the middle of the concert.

Scriabin: Prelude et Nocturne for the left hand Op. 9

Beautiful, very romantic. I suffered from uncontrollable urges to get on steam trains all the way through this.

Scriabin: Deux Poemes Op. 32

1. Clouds of arpeggiation, the melody growing out in fragments and slowly becoming real. Quite a gentle and warm kind of poem perhaps.
2. Angular, quite driven: a poem of a very different sort.

Scriabin: Etude Op. 8 No. 12

Short, dramatic, a great ending.

A lovely recital. Yes please I'd like to hear hubby when he's back in the saddle, but in the meantime what a great chance this was to enjoy another concert from his excellent deputizing service.