A stunning performance

Italian pianist Michelangelo Carbonara delighted the audience with his stunning performance in the chapel at the Kempinski San Lawrenz Hotel in Gozo.

His performance was remarkable considering the piano at his disposal was not ideal for an artist of his calibre.

A good part of the opening Appassionata Sonata by Beethoven, especially the opening Allegro Assai, was rather marred by a muffled tone.

Chopin’s Ballade N.3 in A flat, Op.47 sounded a bit better and there was no mistaking the poetic and very emotional elements flowing from the music.

Generally speaking, the higher range of the piano sounded rather clearer but ideally the instrument’s full range should be exploited to perfection.

The piano caused Liszt’s Paraphrase of Verdi’s Miserere from Il Trovatore to lack its full intended effect.

The overwhelming cascade of scales in the lower register did not sound as articulate as desired; it was a compact mass of sound.

On the other hand, Carbonara’s bravura was never in doubt and he made the best of this showpiece. It is meant to stun with its flamboyance and it is also proof of how Liszt was inspired by another composer’s work.

The other Liszt work, Reminiscence of Bellini’s Norma, was equally impressive. It is strange that while Liszt quotes several themes from the opera, there is no reference to its most famous one, Casta Diva.

Carbonara interpreted this delightful piece brilliantly and had the audience roaring its approval, such is his ability to stir the emotions.

The most musically successful work was Schumann’s Waldszenen, Op.82. It can be considered Schumann’s swansong, in which his genius as a miniaturist emerges in scene after scene.

The pianist spanned a wide range of contrasts, emotions and moods, some of which were of an almost frightening nature. The Haunted Spot scene, for example, plumbs into the deteriorating murky brain of the afflicted composer.

This contrasted excellently with the delicacy of Solitary Flowers, the carefree Prophet Bird and the two scenes with connotations of a chase.

To support The Friends of the Sick and the Elderly in Gozo, the charity in whose aid the concert was held, e-mail sonjassl@go.com.mt or call 2156 2074. The concert was also held in aid of Happy Moments Kenya.