Saturday 9 June saw the latest in our recital series: “The return of Eight hands on 1, 2, or 3 pianos.” The church’s three pianos usually live in different rooms: in the choir vestry, the parish room, and in the main church. Following the success of last year’s similar recital, our three pianos were brought together again in church, and we were treated to piano duets, trios, and quartets. The recitalists were our Director of Music Jonathan Holmes and his colleagues from the Music Department of Emanuel School, Clapham: Sarah Holmes, Richard Harker, and Simon Gregory.
In the first half we enjoyed some popular and familiar composers of keyboard music: Mozart, Bach, Debussy, and Rachmaninov. After the traditional interval for drinks and canapes courtesy of Arthur Mathews and his team, we were treated to some slightly more unusual music, including pieces from Ponchielli, Milhaud, and Ketelby. Two of the most memorable pieces for the present writer were hearing all eight hands playing Grainger’s “Country Gardens”, and a breath-taking rendition of Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre.
As we were still in Jubilee Week, the concert ended with a rousing rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance” and “Stars and Stripes”. Members of the audience leaving afterwards proclaimed this recital “very uplifting”, “a fantastic evening”, and “the best concert yet.” Future recitalists have a lot to live up to!