THE SANCTUARY, QUEEN’S CROSS CHURCH
Monday 24th April, 2023
LEONORE DUO: PIANO & CELLO
Gemma Rosefield cello
Tim Horton piano
PROGRAMME:
Bohuslav Martinů (1890 – 1959)
Variations on a Theme of Rossini for Cello and Piano
J. S. Bach (1685 – 1750)
Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
Nocturne in c sharp minor Op. 27
Nocturne in D flat Major Op. 27
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943)
Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19
ENCORE:
Chopin
Cello Sonata in g minor Op. 65 (3rd Movement, Largo on B flat Major)
The last concert in the current season promoted by Aberdeen Chamber Music Concerts was to have been given by the Leonore Piano Trio. Violinist Benjamin Nabarro was suffering from repetitive strain injury and thus unable to play, however the other two members of the trio, cellist Gemma Rosefield and pianist Tim Horton agreed to come to Aberdeen with a different programme which they performed as a duo. We are doubly grateful to them, first for agreeing to come. Secondly for presenting a perfectly well-balanced programme, performed with stunningly brilliant virtuosity from start to finish, including their amiably seductive choice of encore.
The Duo opened their performance with a real stunner of a piece. Bohuslav Martinů’s Variations on a Theme of Rossini was a marvellous showpiece, so full of fun. I loved the expressions on cellist Gemma Rosefield’s face as she responded to the ticklish to and fro of the music for cello against piano. She was obviously enjoying the music as much as we were. The two players tackled the faster music with a wonderful sense of panache. There was a warm gentle central section which was delightful. Gemma fired pizzicato notes almost like pistol shots before the work ended with irresistible melodic sweep.
Before playing the second piece in the programme, J. S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, Gemma introduced us to her cello. There was a fascinating story of its birth, not far from the lifetime of Bach himself. It had once belonged to King George IV and has his title GR on the back. Gemma said this is handy because these are also her initials.
As soon as she began to play the Prelude of the Cello Suite, I was impressed by the strength of her tone. The prelude is very scalar in structure. Could it be a bit dull if played without passion? However Gemma really made her instrument sing for joy in this opening movement. In the following Allemande she made the instrument dance. Here her playing had magical clarity. The Courante means running. To run, you need to be on your toes, not on the flats of your feet and the lightness of Gemma’s playing in this movement was exactly what was needed. The Sarabande felt both warm and regal. I loved the two Bourées including the passage in the minor and then the lightsome finish. The final Gigue set the seal on what was an exciting performance. I have heard the odd performance of this piece when you start to think, ‘Is this never going to end’ but with Gemma’s performance I thought, ‘Oh! It can’t be finished already’. This was because she held our attention rapt throughout the whole piece.
After the short interval, it was the turn of Tim Horton to delight us with Two Nocturnes Op. 27 by Chopin. I felt that he captured that ‘Nocturne’ spirit to perfection with his performances. The first, he described as one of the saddest pieces that Chopin had ever composed but it was quite delectable with a sorrowful yet attractive right hand melody and some wonderful left hand work. The left hand was equally important in the D flat Major Nocturne. Here the playing was romantic and virtuosic too – a perfect introduction for the piece by Rachmaninoff that the Duo were going to play next. This was Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in g minor for cello and piano. One audience member, a cellist himself, said that what impressed him was that in this performance, the composer’s romantic melodic writing was given full expression without ever becoming saccharine-sweet as in some other performances. I have to agree with him. The Lento opening had marvellous breadth of expression moving to liquid flowing piano for the Allegro moderato. Gemma once again gave us her dramatic pizzicato notes and the duo continued fully con brio. The second movement, Allegro Scherzando, was full of vigour with biting cello, then melody blossomed forth deliciously. The piano had slow romantic passages in the third movement Andante, and the cello sang out with luscious warmth.
The Sonata begins in g minor and moves through various keys but the finale is in G Major inviting exactly the sense of full blooded positivity we got from both players on Monday. There were even magical touches of humour from the cello that made this final movement shine.
Of course, the Duo got an enthusiastic response from Monday’s audience to which they replied with the Third Movement of Chopin’s Cello Sonata as an encore. It was beautifully gentle and lovingly played. Thank-you Gemma and Tim for an absolutely splendid concert.
Since this was the final concert of our season, please allow me to thank two people who have helped our performances enormously. First a young man who worked as page turner in this concert and our last one with Kamil Mika and Kara Taylor. Filip Meszka is a young organist. Both we in the audience and the musicians owe him our gratitude for his attentive hard work.
The second person who deserves our thanks is Elspeth Mogendorff. Her tireless work looking after the organisation of Queen’s Cross Church is something we could not do without. It is not just what she does during and after the concerts. She also welcomes the performers hours earlier, making them feel comfortable and at home in Queen’s Cross. I am certain that has a considerable effect on how all of our concerts are so good. Our performers are always so relaxed and happy to be in Aberdeen. So thank-you Elspeth!
ALAN COOPER