Thomas Kelly on Ischia
The Walton Foundation at La Mortella – The Devil and Deep Blue Sea
A standing ovation for playing that was just made for paradise.
The paradise that Susana created to turn her husband’s dreams into reality.
Sir William and Susana resting now overlooking their child that was born of the love of beauty that they shared together for over fifty years .
Ogdon,Richter, Bream,Tortelier and many others all used to rent Lady Walton’s cottages that surrounded the estate of La Mortella. The cottages have now been sacrificed to set up a trust fund so the Walton Foundation can live on forever as was Sir William’s wish.
I doubt that La Mortella has ever heard such sounds as Thomas Kelly conjured from the piano tonight.
A refined palette of golden sounds allied to superb musicianship but above all the magic of an occasion to allow us to wallow in sumptuous sounds with an impassioned demonic technical mastery that was both exhilaration and exciting and most definitely X certificate.
Looking like Rachmaninov as though he had swallowed a knife but then producing, like Vlado Perlemuter used to tell me, the most romantic sumptuous sounds from the piano.
Horowitz too, head down just a twitch of his lips but some of the most obscenely decadent sounds that are only to be found by those who have truly made a pact with the devil.
