An all-Beethoven programme could have been a little tedious were it not for a master of Beethoven.
Osborne plays Beethoven as if it were written with him in mind. He is so expressive, so musical; mercurial almost.
Sandwiched between two sets of Bagatelles - written a quarter of a century apart - were two dynamic sonatas: No 21 in C before the interval and, to close the programme, No 32 in C Minor.
And it is his masterful playing of those that will live long in the memory.
The first, with its pounding bass lines, saw shimmering climaxes which always left space for sub-melodies which Osborne seemed to winkle through Beethoven’s full scoring.
Sonata No 32 has those double dotted chords of which Beethoven was so fond. They were precisely placed and, even when pianissimo, clear and pointed.
Osborne just seems to lean ever so slightly on the rest which gives a deep poignancy to what follows. Quite uncanny; but so skillful.
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