For the final concert in our 2020/21 season, we were delighted to welcome the wonderful Linos Piano Trio, who played a programme of Grieg, Debussy and Schubert. Social distancing rules were still in place, so they played the same programme twice, at 4 pm and again at 7 pm. The trio have specialised in transcribing works written for other forces, and they opened with highly effective versions of Morgenstemning from Grieg’s Peer Gynt suite, and of Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. Their recital concluded with one of the greatest works of the classical piano trio repertoire: Schubert’s piano trio no 2 in E flat.
The sheer musical energy and commitment of the trio, along with their strong communication with the audience, were remarkable, and everyone there was full of admiration and gratitude for these wonderful performances. The concerts marked a fitting end to a difficult year with COVID restrictions, and the trio were clearly delighted that they had been able to perform once again in front of a live audience – their first such concert in London in 18 months.
We look forward to more normality in 2021/22, our 10th anniversary season!
Following two date changes, we were very fortunate to be able to hold our second concert of the 2020/21 season on 10th December 2020, just before London was put into COVID Tier 4 restrictions.
We were delighted to welcome Tasmin Little (violin) and Martin Roscoe (piano) in a recital of Mozart’s sonata K 545 in B flat, and the great sonata by Cesar Franck. Due to the restricted audience, Tasmin and Martin generously played the recital twice – at 3 pm and 7 pm – so that nearly 100 were able to hear it, and in addition a similar number enjoyed the live stream kindly organised by ROSL. Elgar’s beautiful Salut d’Amour was played as an encore.
Held just 12 days before Tasmin Little’s retirement from the concert platform after more than 30 years, this was one of the very last opportunities to hear this celebrated violinist live, together with one of her long-standing piano duo partners – these two performances were their 179th and 180th together! With superb playing from both artists, it was a memorable occasion, and was much appreciated by all those who attended as a welcome respite from other worries. The Medical Music Society of London wishes Tasmin Little a most enjoyable and fulfilling retirement from the concert platform.
The first concert of our 2020/21 season – and the first since lockdown in March/April 2020 – was a piano duet and duo recital by the internationally known pianists Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva on 27th October 2020.
Their generous programme had an amazingly broad sweep: from early Mozart-and-Haydn-influenced Beethoven (Sonata in D, Op 6), via Schubert (Rondo in A, D 951) and Brahms (Variations on a theme by Robert Schumann, Op 23), to the seductive harmonies of three works by Poulenc (Elégie, L’embarquement pour Cythère, and Capriccio d’après Le Bal Masqué) and finally the thrilling dissonance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Their playing was perfectly synchronised throughout, with remarkable dynamic range and sensitivity, and ample and exciting virtuosity when needed. We had the maximum audience of 40 permitted under COVID-19 regulations, who greatly enjoyed the evening. For many, it was the first chance to attend a live concert for more than six months. We are extremely grateful to Charles and Katya for a superb and memorable evening.