The Bermuda Piano Festival Review: Masterworks Concerts

When the performance ended and the final applaud faded to silence, I realised how overwhelmed I was by the first Bermuda Piano Festival concert because it was that good — simply breathtaking.

Alex Tuchman and Eteri Andjaparidze’s presentation of Andante and Variations in G Major by Mozart immediately drew the audience in with an immersive and enticing wall of sound that transcended the piece’s complexity of four hands on the keyboard. It was mesmerising with the only distraction being the periodic crack of sheet music being whipped to the next page.

Schumann’s Fantasiestücke with Leah Ferguson on viola and Santiago Lomelin on piano was a delightful surprise. It was only a week or so ago that I heard it played on cello. The listening experience of this dazzling rendition by Ferguson and Lomelin I can best describe with a jazz analogy — it was like hearing the ballad Autumn Leaves played by Miles Davis, then by Chet Baker. There is something so beguiling when watching musicians of this calibre perform.

Lomelin’s powerful and impactful Chopin was followed by mezzo-soprano, Raphaella Medina and pianist Nicolas Salloum who created sheer alchemy with French poetry set to the music of Francis Poulenc and Erik Satie. Salloum accompanied her with elegant fluidity and Medina’s delectably emphatic timbre was enhanced with subtle animated gestures — creating a captivating presence as she sang. Her rhapsodic enunciation was concise and clear.

Salloum’s Piano Sonata was something to behold. Punctuating the concert’s conclusion, he left no doubt his acclaim as a pianist is well deserved.

Asked how the repertoire was decided on, Alex Tuchman, artistic director, replied, “A lot of thinking goes into what audiences might enjoy hearing. There’s also a theme. This year each of our programmes is very eclectic and on each night there’s a variety of styles and genres.

“I try to find pieces that complement one another or that contrast so much that it’s equally interesting to the listener. Each programme has been assembled with a lot of care. I hope the listeners can connect and engage with each piece and with each performer.”

The Bermuda Piano Festival did not miss a step with its second concert.

The Schubert Rondo in A Major was commensurate to its introduction by Alex Tuchman. Its allure and song-like beauty were immediate and arresting. It should be noted, during the four-hand playing the sheet music was adroitly and quietly turned with no distraction to Tuchman and Santiago Lomelin’s playing.

Kinderszenen by Schumann was nostalgic and introspectively jubilant with its varied childhood themes. There was a flowing sensitivity in the music that constantly prompted ruminative joy.

Unless you witnessed Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata and its encore, no comments or adjectives beyond riveting and stunning could adequately do justice to the brilliance and awesome talent of pianist Alex Tuchman. Period.

“Bathe in golden evening light,

How solemnly the forest stand!”

Accompanied by Leah Ferguson on viola and Alex Tuchman on piano, Raphaella Medina’s singing was grace personified as Brahms opened the final concert. Her singing in German was just as compelling and enchanting as her singing in French.

Nicholas Solomon followed and changed the atmosphere with his fiery virtuosity and Chopin’s Rondo à la mazur. He possesses “une élégance innée et naturelle” as a pianist. Those audience members who could not see his fingering of the keys truly missed something special.

In 1937, Alberto Ginastera composed Danzas Aregentinas, three movements based on Argentine folk songs. Santiago Lomelin rendered a languid romanticism with his Dance of the Graceful Girl.

It was fitting the third concert ended with Georges Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants, which was composed for four hand piano. Alex Tuchman incorporated all of the pianists over its twelve movements; and this was a wonderful conclusion to a great series of concerts.

Here is something I did not anticipate by attending The Bermuda Piano Festival — the marvellous challenge of being open to new musical experiences, moving outside of your musical “day to day”.

The Bermuda Piano Festival compels you to explore new musical territories — vistas and landscapes which may not be familiar to you.

Challenged to define the festival’s success, Alex Tuchman replied: “If one person comes and has a reaction to the music we’re performing that’s a success. I think music is the greatest gift we can give but is also one of the best we can receive as listeners. It’s an act of generosity to get on stage.

“I don’t really think in terms of success. I think the goal of the festival is to reach out and touch people’s lives with music. If we can have lessons with students who are at various stages of their musical development and give them in our short time together a little bit of inspiration to keep going and take their playing to the next level — that’s a success.”

With three concerts, the Bermuda Piano Festival gave attendees an unforgettable bouquet of musical performances. By any standard — it was indeed a success.