Italian Concerto - Bach
Estampes - Debussy
Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues - Rzewski
Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus, Nos 10 & 11 - Messiaen
Rigoletto Paraphrase - Liszt
The New Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, has 12 rows of seats, raked, holding 228 people; further seats at the back and sides bring the number up to nearly 300. Everything can be seen and heard and a prohibition on smoking in the building ensures the freshness of the air.
Alexander Taylor's piano recital might have been designed to exploit the acoustic. His playing of Bach's Italian Concerto was notable for its clarity, and the acoustic guaranteed that every note, no matter how swift or soft, would sound in the ear. The interpretation eschewed obvious expressiveness but in its accuracy and rhythmic life, it was more telling than a forcefully driven performance could be.
Debussy's Estampes he saw as possessing the sharpness of etchings, not the softness of some impressionist paintings, and his playing was extraordinarily clean, though fully alert to all the composer's harmonic subtleties.
A strong contrast was provided by Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues by the American composer, Rzewski. A discordant piling up of obstinatos in the bottom register led to a short blues theme which finally succumbed to the mechanical noises. Debussy's delicate etchings yielded place to a socialist-realist photograph.
Pictorial in another way were the Vingt Regards of Messiaen. These contemplations of religious subjects have, for me, a sugary devotion hidden beneath their staccato rhythms and abrasive harmonies. Taylor played them with an enthusiasm which reconciled the opposing tendencies.
Liszt's Rigoletto Paraphrase showed the pianist's mastery of another romantic idiom as he balanced the simple themes and the lavish floods of decoration with perfect taste - not an easy thing to do.
The Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire opens officially in December. Information from: 01- 231 2929.
