Piano recital is full of sparks and fireworks
In his recital on December 10 for Perth Piano Sundays in Perth Concert Hall, Andrew Tyson showed not only technical brilliance but illuminating musical intelligence.
Schubert’s Sonata D664 is often thought of as the little A Major.
Yet Tyson’s interpretation showed it to have the light and shadow of its bigger D959 brother.
In the first movement he brought forward moments of nascent darkness from its innocence. The second was of beauty vanished and returning and the third bubbled along joyfully, turning wistful at the end.
The three Chopin Mazurkas showed equal interpretative depth: Op50 No3 became a miniature symphonic poem of sadness, capricious flightiness, Polish pride and a tragic end.
Op30 No3 had the verve of the dance, yet also introspection and Op33 No3 was the cooler memory of the dance.
The Ballade No3 Op47 perhaps missed a little on opening warmth, yet was splendid piano playing.
Conventionally Book One of Albéniz’ Iberia is colourful travelogue, yet in Evocación Andrew Tyson displayed a husky darkness behind the Kodachrome.
El Puerto had the hustle and bustle of the seaport and curious harmonies with unique sound. El Corpus en Sevilla had the most productive re-think. It was epic in its harmonic squirts like rockets. Individual, it was a great experience.
Fireworks were on hand in the waves of sound Andrew Tyson unleashed in Liszt’s Rhapsodie espagnole.
Using two tunes – the stately Les folies d’espagne, and the exciting dance the Jota Aragonesa – his playing had clarity and direction, the showman Liszt providing a grand opportunity for a magnificent climax. Tyson Andrew