I went anticipating a run-of-the mill “student” performance. Jayson Gillham is 27 and, in the spectrum of recitalists, an infant!
He began with the notoriously difficult Beethoven Sonata in E Major Opus 109. From the opening it was obvious Jayson’s command of piano is so accomplished it is purely a vehicle through which he projects his astonishing musicality.
The sonata was followed by Two Etudes, Two Poems and Sonata in F sharp major by Scriabin, extraordinarily difficult to play and verging on being too rich in the middle register. Most pianists ram down the sustaining pedal. Jayson’s skill was barely challenged and he solved the problem of balance, fudging and blurring by using the middle pedal. This is the first time I have heard any Skipton recitalist deploy the middle pedal.
Chopin’s Nocturne in Eb major was a delight and even Sparky’s Magic Piano was elevated from the showy mundane to musical magic. As an encore, he played The Grand Polonaise – stunning.
Adrienne Fox
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