Thames is indeed fortunate to have Francis Cowan as a resident music teacher.
Someone once said that the essence of a true performer is that he needs to be a transmitter who moves out of the way to let the music be heard.
Mr Cowan's presentation of a wonderful range of musical styles was the epitome of that statement.
He began with Johann Sebastian Bach, as you do, describing the Prelude from English Suite No. 2 as "sewing machine music".
Some pianists may be guilty of an interpretation like that but his wasn't. It was clear, precise and faithful to Bach's contrapuntal interaction where both hands
celebrate independent movement. A great way to warm up the fingers on a cold winter's day!
Mr Cowan then introduced Robert Schumann's "Arabesque" in C Major Opus 18 thus helping the audience to tune in to the spirit of a young composer who was at that time frustrated in love, rejected and depressed. The early confusion and diffidence borne of frustration was ably conveyed especially when the last notes seemed to indicate a resignation to defeat.
Schumann wrote "Arabesque" for Clara Wieck, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era. Happily for him, Clara did eventually become his wife.
The slow chords of the Sonata No. 31 written in 1821 by Beethoven soon moved into fluent arpeggios, not played with flamboyance but unpretentiously making good use of silences where the romanticism of this music requires them.
The next piece had a nice connection because it was also dedicated to Clara Schumann. The lyrical style of this late work Brahms "Intermezzo" Opus 118 No 2, more introverted than his early works, gave the opportunity for a thoughtful, empathic and finely balanced interpretation.
Miklos Rozsa, famous for nearly 100 film scores, was commissioned to write a score for Alfred Hitchcock's thriller, "Spellbound" featuring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. Although the music gained an academy award for Rozsa, Hitchcock didn't like it, claiming that it 'overtakes all the direction of my film' but this audience certainly did and it was greatly apparent that so did Mr Cowan.
The memorable opening theme broadened through many key changes, including a delightfully playful folky little episode and climaxing in the finale with pounding arpeggios gave plenty of scope for an exciting finish to a wonderful concert.
Hitchcock's 1945 film opened with a quotation from Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar' "The Fault... is Not in Our Stars,...But in Ourselves..." In this concert the audience found no fault.
Someone once said that the essence of a true performer is that he needs to be a transmitter who moves out of the way to let the music be heard.
Mr Cowan's presentation of a wonderful range of musical styles was the epitome of that statement.
He began with Johann Sebastian Bach, as you do, describing the Prelude from English Suite No. 2 as "sewing machine music".
Some pianists may be guilty of an interpretation like that but his wasn't. It was clear, precise and faithful to Bach's contrapuntal interaction where both hands
celebrate independent movement. A great way to warm up the fingers on a cold winter's day!
Mr Cowan then introduced Robert Schumann's "Arabesque" in C Major Opus 18 thus helping the audience to tune in to the spirit of a young composer who was at that time frustrated in love, rejected and depressed. The early confusion and diffidence borne of frustration was ably conveyed especially when the last notes seemed to indicate a resignation to defeat.
Schumann wrote "Arabesque" for Clara Wieck, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era. Happily for him, Clara did eventually become his wife.
The slow chords of the Sonata No. 31 written in 1821 by Beethoven soon moved into fluent arpeggios, not played with flamboyance but unpretentiously making good use of silences where the romanticism of this music requires them.
The next piece had a nice connection because it was also dedicated to Clara Schumann. The lyrical style of this late work Brahms "Intermezzo" Opus 118 No 2, more introverted than his early works, gave the opportunity for a thoughtful, empathic and finely balanced interpretation.
Miklos Rozsa, famous for nearly 100 film scores, was commissioned to write a score for Alfred Hitchcock's thriller, "Spellbound" featuring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. Although the music gained an academy award for Rozsa, Hitchcock didn't like it, claiming that it 'overtakes all the direction of my film' but this audience certainly did and it was greatly apparent that so did Mr Cowan.
The memorable opening theme broadened through many key changes, including a delightfully playful folky little episode and climaxing in the finale with pounding arpeggios gave plenty of scope for an exciting finish to a wonderful concert.
Hitchcock's 1945 film opened with a quotation from Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar' "The Fault... is Not in Our Stars,...But in Ourselves..." In this concert the audience found no fault.
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