Past Performances
The Italian pianist Axel Trolese visited Shrewsbury on Tuesday 26th November 2024 to perform for the first time in Shropshire, arriving hot-foot from playing his debut recital in London at the new Bechstein Hall. This recital in the Tuesday lunchtime St Alkmund series was the first recital sponsored by The Keyboard Trust and the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation, who plan to support two Shrewsbury International Piano Recitals per year, in recognition of the welcome given to young international pianists by the town.
James Fraser-Andrews reviews a high-powered piano recital by Kazakhstani pianist Alim Beisembayev for The Shropshire Music Trust at the Maidment Auditorium, Shrewsbury School.
"There is no pianist under the age of 30 I would rather hear,” claimed the Daily Telegraph’s critic about the prodigiously talented Alim Beisembayev. And on the evidence of the declaratively beautiful yet understatedly masterful recital on the Maidment Auditorium’s Steinway, who could disagree? Here, in the latest edition of Shrewsbury’s excellent International Recital Series, was playing that entered the bloodstream with hypnotic power, blessed by absence of ego alongside a generous and close embrace of the music itself.
Victor Maslov gave his first recital in Shropshire on 25th June 2024 in St Alkmunds Church, Shrewsbury. He appeared courtesy of the Keyboard Charitable Trust (KCT), a world-wide charity that supports the most promising international pianists early in their careers. Previous beneficiaries of the KCT include Evgeny Kissin, Anna Fedorova, Mariam Batsashvili and Paul Lewis, to name but a few. The KCT have recognised the support given by Shrewsbury audiences to young international pianists and have offered to sponsor two recitals a year in Shrewsbury from some of their most gifted artists.
Victor is a 25-year-old Russian pianist who has been praised as “one of those people who is close to all-round mastery of his repertoire” by the New York Concert Review, following his recital at Carnegie Hall, New York. Victor has appeared as a soloist at such renowned venues and festivals as the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cadogan Hall, Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire, Smetana Hall and Rudolfinum.
Daniel played the second recital in the 2022 International Recital Series on Sunday 30th October in St Chads Church, on an afternoon bathed in autumn sunshine. He played two Beethoven Sonatas including the Appassionata with an incredibly difficult Schumann Toccata sandwiched between. The audience was spellbound throughout. He began by playing the rarely played Sonata No. 22, less dramatic than the Appassionata but equally original and perfectly formed. Daniel's performance of the Appassionata was full of passion, confidence and understanding of the turbulent period in Beethoven's life when it was composed. I don't believe we will ever hear a better performance of the work