Pascal Roge (piano)
Last updated: 26/10/2009 19:36:00
Pascal Roge (piano)
The Old Granary Studio Toft Monks
A Frenchman playing French music made a great impression on the large audience for the penultimate concert of the current series on Friday evening. Whilst there were no major works in the programme the two dozen pieces under the sub-title 'Chopin and French Impressionists' showed Roge, a world-renowned artist, as a master of rhythmic changes and colouring.
He is a studied performer and in fact rarely moved his position at the keyboard - until the final work of the first half, Chopin's C minor Etude ' Revolutionary' which he treated in powerful fashion.
The recital began with clarity, languid fluidity and lyricism respectively in Nocturnes by Faure, Chopin and Poulenc before moving to Chopin's well-loved Valse in C sharp minor and a pair of contrasted Mazurkas and Roge's fingers were never still in Debussy's 'Etude pour huit doigts' - what a testing study.
In the second half more of the two composer floated by or were wistful in turn and it was all wonderfully atmospheric music.
None better than in a set of three Debussy Preludes from Book 1 and while others danced and flowed majectically some were peaceful. some more lively.
So many adjectives but there were so many facets to the recitalist's playing and the whole concert can be heard again for it was recorded for an impending CD release.
Mike Drake