Another Wednesday

Wesley's Wednesday lunchtime concerts are a little pleasure in the working week. This one was Robert Schmidli. I've heard him perform various piano pieces over time, both at Wesley and elsewhere. This program attracted me: Bach, Beethoven and Liszt. A Bach Toccata (Cmin BMV911) with all its sequences and counterpoint and intelligence and relentlessness. It's hasher on a modern piano but still an inevitable pleasure. Then a Beethoven rondo (Alla ingharese quasi un capriccio, Gmaj, Op.129). Almost bluesy, lively, repetitive with continuing change in time and more. Then three pieces from Liszt. Chapelle de Guillaume Tell (apparently on Lake Lucerne) was darker and telling of war. Au bord d'une source is rippling water, impressionistic, soft. Hungarian Rhapsody no.6 S.224 is a collection of folk songs in four parts. Robert finished with a lovely and very short (~55 sec) Prelude from Scriabin; pretty and pensive. Another lovely outing from Robert and very well received.

Robert Schmidli (piano) played Bach, Beethoven, Liszt and Scriabin at Wesley.