Lunchtime concerts at the Royal College of Music are a top tip. They are usually free, only last an hour and though you may know the pieces the performers will be a surprise.
It is usually a welcome surprise and last Wednesday’s concert was no exception. The programme was two Beethoven piano sonatas separated by six short pieces for flute. Tolga Atalanta Un played the first sonata (No. 31). He is Turkish-American, born in Ankara in 1995. No surprise to have a performer from overseas but it was a surprise when the second sonata (No.30) was played not just by a Londoner but by Dominic Doutney, who has been taking lessons at the RCM since he was nine and went to school nearby.
They were interesting performances. It seems to me that young performers often concentrate on technical perfection at the expense of interpretation. Tolga and Dominic gave distinctive performances that went beyond playing the notes in the right order. They were helped by Beethoven’s virtuosity and he gave them a hint in this performance direction for the last movement of Sonata No. 30: Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung – in a singing style, with most deeply-felt expression.
I was lucky to have clients that I liked when I was an oil broker. I got on with traders in Azerbaijan on the Caspian and had hoped to visit them there. Unfortunately we ended up, boringly, meeting in Geneva and London. However, Welsh flautist, Catherine Hare brought some Azerbaijani music to the RCM composed by Fikret Amirov; six pieces using traditional Azeri folk melodies. Amirov was very well known behind the Iron Curtain. Here are some of his honours and awards (thank you, Wiki).
Stalin Prize (1949)
USSR State Prize (1980)
People’s Artist of Azerbaijan SSR (1958)
People’s Artist of the USSR (1965)
Hero of Socialist Labour (1982)
Two Orders of Lenin (1959, 1982)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour, twice (1967, 1971)
State Prize of Azerbaijan SSR (1974)
Lenin Komsomol Prize of Azerbaijan SSR (1967)
Cathy Hare gave an emotional performance, enhanced by sensitive accompaniment by Kumi Matsuo. Watch out for this Japanese pianist. She is at least as talented as the other two and has already performed extensively internationally as a soloist.