This was a recital of piano music by Knussen, Mozart, Prokofiev and Schubert. Ms Suhanova is a Latvian, UK-trained, pianist in the early stages of her career. None of these works were familiar to me, except the Schubert. I particularly enjoyed the Mozart (K311), which was graceful and fairly swift – there were interesting quirks to the musical flow in the first movement which Ms Suhanova brought out well and she didn’t try to over-romanticise the piece – there are angsty moments in Mozart, but they musn’t be overdone; her phrasing had many little touches of sensitivity and colour. The Schubert Impromptu (D935 no 3) I thought was the least successfully done of the four pieces she played – the initial tempo was too fast and the resulting variations/sub-themes were over–clangorous and without that melancholy and introspection – whether occasioned by his sexuality, disease, or just the sense of an impending early death – which all Schubert piano music must have. I was reminded of a maxim I made up myself, but which I read the other day also in Humphrey Burton’s memoirs ’In My Own Time’ – the maxim being, ‘most music sounds better when played a little slower than you initially think it should be played’. The Prokofiev Op 94 sonata was really a bit too much to take in on a first hearing but certainly sounded a significant and powerful work, and one which, as far as I could tell, Ms Suhanova played well – I’d like to hear it again. Finally the Stuart Knussen piece about prayer bells seemed sonorous and impressive.
An interesting recital – I’m glad I went
John's musical journey 