It has to be a source of concern to the Wiltshire Music Centre that an artist of the national calibre of pianist Leon McCawley can barely half fill the place.
Tickets were priced at £18; £36 for a couple; a glass of wine each at £4 would mean a fiver change out of £50.
Under 18s, of which there were but five or six in the audience, could get in for £9. I wonder what the problem is.
However, to the concert: McCawley, undemonstrative, seemingly dour, has a driving, almost relentless style.
It drove Beethoven’s Sonata in C Minor a little briskly for my liking – but, then, pace is almost a mission these days.
The second movement, adagio molto, was emotionally fluffy, flowery: just the ticket for letting the mind wander and wallow in its soulful, evocative beauty.
And the tellingly long silence twixt that and the finale spoke a thousand words.
Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words heralded an interval in which it was so refreshingly non-U to see McCawley floating about signing CDs.
Then came the Thirteen Preludes of Rachmaninov: Monumental, almost fearsome; quite an epic of supreme concentration and sustained brilliance.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel