Know your Left Hand from your Right Hand
THIS turned out to be especially necessary when Ian de Massini gave yet another of his dazzling solo concerts on Sunday 1st July. The audience had arrived early and sat in a circle around the piano. Six o'clock struck and right on cue a figure in black silently passed between the chairs, settled and then hit the first dramatic chords of Bach's Partita no 3 in E major for solo violin, later embellished by Bach for various instruments including a right hand only solo organ which had been extracted by Ian and to which he had added new music in the style of Bach for the pianist's left hand. That's what he played. (Maybe you ought to read that again)
Having completed that dramatic entry Ian began to explain just how often composers enjoyed arranging other people's works. As he talked all became clear. We appreciated why composers including Ian just love music and why they enjoy playing around with music. And what fun and joy (that word again) it can be. The prime example was Bach's Sonata no. 1 in G minor for solo violin which had been embellished for solo piano by Brahms. There were eight sections. Sometimes Bach was played on the right hand with the new Brahms music on the left, and then it was reversed with Bach on the left and Brahms on the right.
Much else was played in what was an intense hour of exquisite musical enjoyment, in the middle of which Ian said with his usual modesty "I am just an organist and not a pianist". All those who attended thought he'd done pretty well in spite of this, especially as he played throughout without any music.