Mark Viner recital

[Philip M]

I heard Viber live for the first time tonight, at the rather quaintly named Cosy Hall in Newport, shropshire. A small hall with an audience of just under 100.

Sadly the 6 foot Yamaha was awful. It should be condemned to a skip. So a fair review is not possible.

Chaminade’s lovely Automne opened the recital, a once popular piece rarely played these days - though I heard Andrew Tyson play it last June at Wigmore Hall. Tyson gave much the better performance.

Schumann’s Fantasy followed, ruined by the piano. In addition, the end of the second movement was a shambles, Viner getting lost. Not the first person to fail here though!

The second half was more typical Viner fayre - Thalberg’s Fantasy on themes from Rossini’s Moses and Liszt’s Reminiscences of Norma. Fast loud music meant the defects of the piano were less evident. The problem is that the Thalberg is virtuosic trivia, and the Liszt is just showy.

I’ll give Viner another chance when he has a decent piano and plays (hopefully) Alkan.

Philip

[Philip M]

Viber = Viner, sorry!

[Lance]

I can't believe an artist the caliber of Mark Viner had to use a six-foot Yamaha piano (regardless of the piano maker) to play publicly! He should not have done it, especially for a program like the one presented. I have observed other pianists playing on non-concert instruments and it most assuredly has a negative impact on the pianist and performance.

[Philip M]

Couldn’t agree more. Yet bizarrely he played there on the same instrument 3 years ago.

Philip