Recital proves worthy of new piano

Published: 27 October, 2006

THIS recital by the Paris-based American pianist Ivan Ilic marked the first public performance by a professional pianist on the new Bosendorfer piano at the Town House, Inverness, and the instrument emerged triumphant from the searching examination it received.

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Ilic's diverse and well-balanced programme - played entirely from memory - took us chronologically from a "Suite" by Handel all the way through to the world premiere of a testing new work by young American composer John L. King, and added Haydn, Schubert, Debussy and Liszt to its stylistic span.

The instrument scored highly for the rich colours and sheer depth and luxuriance of sound which the pianist drew from it, and it augured well for the expanded programme of piano music planned for Highland 2007 (and, we trust, well beyond). A piano of this quality has long been needed at the Town House, and if little can be done about the obtrusive traffic sound leaking into the hall, at least the artists now have an instrument worthy of their talents.

Ilic introduced each piece he played, having altered the programme significantly from its printed version. The initial two pieces in F major, a crisply played and cleanly articulated "Suite" by Handel and Haydn's "Sonata No 47", full of characteristic ingenuity and wit, paved the way for King's "Sonata", and provided both a context and a contrast with the new piece.

Its darkly resonant opening phrases and agitated, pulsating figures were developed and expanded in skilful fashion, and the short piece moved through various changes of mood and extremes of high and low register as it unfolded.

By way of contrast, Ilic closed the first half with three of Debussy's "Preludes", which received a robust reading that avoided the diaphanous veil that can sometimes be thrown over Debussy's music, but lost a little in atmosphere as a result, notably in "La Cathedrale Engloutie".

Four of Schubert's "Moments Musicaux", intelligently sequenced to give a satisfying overall shape, preceded Liszt's virtuoso "Variations On A Theme By Bach" in the second half. Liszt took the full Romantic sledgehammer to Bach's elegant theme (drawn from the Cantata "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen") in this work, calling for a full Lisztian technique.

The pianist removed his jacket in recognition of the task ahead, and emerged with great credit from the challenge, before returning to add two more of Debussy's "Preludes" as encores. KM

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