The brilliant and popular Spanish pianist, Maria Linares, returned to play in St Alkmunds Church on Tuesday 15th October 2024 at 1pm. This was her fourth recital in Shrewsbury, having played two recitals to help raise humanitarian funds for Ukraine. There were some 120 fans in the audience, attesting to her popularity from previous performances. She has a lovely personality that shines through and captures the listener's heart. She arrived in 2022 as a promising young student from the Birmingham Conservatoire, but we have been able to see her developing into a fully-fledged artist, and her latest repertoire seemed to suit her creative strengths.
Maria started with Bach's French Suite No.5, one of his most romantic compositions written in 1722 when he had fallen in love with, and married, his second wife Anna Magdalena, by whom he would have 13 children. Anna Magdalena was a celebrated soprano and a great support to Johann's career. Maria has a beautiful touch on the piano, her playing full of the joie de vivre and her mischievous sense of humour.
Having wooed us with delicate charms of the baroque, Maria moved into the beautiful realms of Mozart's Piano Sonata No.7. The sonata was written in 1777, when Mozart was aged 21, but not published until after his death. It has become popular over time because of its technical brilliance and emotional depth. Maria seems to have found her home in the classical repertoire, her playing sparkling with tenderness and love of the music. She treats the keyboard with great sensitivity and creates a wonderful world of sound, subtle and ravishing.
Maria finished her recital with a nod to her homeland. In the music of Albeniz, Maria is like a skilled flamenco dancer, carrying us abroad with Spanish verve and rhythm. The audience were showered with unexpected Meditteranean sunshine to conclude her sumptuous performance. This is the exciting part of nurturing young musicians, to see them grow into artists with individuality and. musical integrity. Excelente rendimiento, Maria!