Concert Review
Peter Donohoe and Martin Roscoe (two pianos) – 23rd September 2024
BRILLIANT START TO A NEW SEASON
Penrith Music Club’s opening concert of the season was in every way something special. An unusually large but welcome audience came to see two outstanding veterans of the international classical world perform exceptional piano duets. The club’s committee is to be congratulated on putting this together; two grand pianos on stage was an amazing sight especially with Martin Roscoe and Peter Donohoe at their respective helms.
Now, two pianists at two separate pianos are a far cry from the traditional ‘parlour’ piano with two pianists, one taking the lower half and the other the higher of the keyboard. The compositions are much more complex and allow for a greater interplay of the separate parts, whether it be exchanging phrases as in the Mozart and Saint Saens pieces or the more orchestral distribution of musical lines inherent particularly in Rachmaninov’s Second Suite. Both these compositional approaches require the players to go beyond their own playing ability and instinctively understand each other’s timing and shaping of phrase; this was particularly the case with Debussy’s ‘En Blanc et Noir’. Both players were keen to point out that they had been playing together for some fifty years, so such rapport was well-established.
Starting with Mozart’s late sonata, while both performers inevitably brought out the natural lyricism of Mozart’s style, they gave the piece a sense of grandeur and muscularity. Saint Saens’ Beethoven Variations were again typical of the composer. While there was some reverence for the great master, Saint Saens brings his own sense of Gallic wit to this piece. Of particular note are the hanging chromatic, some have said oriental, broken chords. Clearly our performers enjoyed every nuance of this music.
‘En Blanc et Noir’ is an enigmatic piece, starting from recognisable Debussy and descending into a darker, dissonant world, reflecting both Debussy’s own declining health and the war he saw around him. As well as the obvious German reference, there are trumpet calls and wisps of plaintive melody. The music groans rather than rages, a difficult thing to communicate without either over-doing or muddying the sound.
Martin and Peter concluded their programme with Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Suite, composed simultaneously with the famous Second Piano Concerto. Indeed there are many passages that mirror that piece and as hinted above, much of the writing has an orchestral structure, in that each player at any one time is playing the part of a section of an orchestra. Given that Rachmaninov himself was one of the greatest pianists possibly ever, it is not surprising that this piece is so demanding on the players.
Two pianos, two players; it could have been a contest of strength – as indeed Peter Donohoe hinted when he told us what they were saying to each other during the applause. Instead these two eminent pianists displayed an overwhelming understanding of both the music and each other.
We were treated to Bach’s ‘Jesu, Joy of man’s Desiring’, arranged by Mayra Hess, as an encore, a quiet, contemplative piece on which to finish this recital.
I must add a huge thank you to the page turners for the soloists for their quiet concentration through all the varied pieces. This was a dazzling opening concert for Penrith Music Club’s season, with many more excellent concerts to come.
Charles Ritchie
