THE new Elgar Centre, with an excellent acoustic and intimate sizing, provides a perfect venue for recitals such as the inaugural one given by Marat Bisengaliev (violin) with David Kershaw (piano).
Bisengaliev, using a violin and bow once owned by Edward Elgar, and Kershaw playing a piano reputed to have been played by Elgar and George Bernard Shaw at a Three Choirs Festival, afforded much pleasure with their choice of short salon pieces by Elgar. Most were early compositions, with the exception of Dreaming from the Nursery Suite (1931), where the beautiful languorous melody was played muted.
La Capricieuse (1893), given considerable stacatto decoration and much rubato showed both musicians totally in concord.
Again, in Chanson de Matin (1899) - taken somewhat quicker than is often heard - Bisengaliev played with supreme delicacy; the penultimate ascending section was exquisite.
Virelai (1906) and Mot d'Amour (1890), both miniature delights, were the concluding pieces in this recital. Bisengaliev and Kershaw had given a fine induction to the Elgar Centre, which in time, should prove to be a valuable asset to those visitors wishing to play homage to arguably the greatest English composer of all time.
JILL HOPKINS
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