Kyle Hutchings in Adbaston
A poetic troubadour of the piano reveals the heart of Mozart, Schubert and Franck
“Mozart and Schubert make up most of my repertoire. They are two supreme vocal composers. Everything in life and the human condition is there in their music and everything is imbued with that singing line. They make perfect partners, I believe. The C minor Sonata is a very turbulent work, and the Adagio is, in my opinion, one of Mozart’s most profound slow movements. It is not often heard together with its twin, the C minor Fantasia. Schubert’s Moments Musicaux are also heavenly. All of life is there in a thirty-minute work . As for the Franck/Bauer, there is darkness, anguish, a sweet melancholy, and deep spirituality to his music” – Kyle Hutchings
It was indeed the simplicity that he brought to all he did that allowed the music to speak with a voice that reveals “ life and the human condition “. There was dynamic drive in the Mozart where operatic brilliance is tinged with a deeply felt poignancy. The searing drama of the opening of the C minor Sonata was followed by an Adagio which is one of Mozart’s most poignant compositions and even leaves a dark shadow looming over the seemingly capricious Allegro assai. The dramatic contrasts and delicate recitativi of the Fantasia opened a world that was pure opera and showed us the turbulence that was deep within the genial soul of Mozart. It was played with an unadorned simplicity of music that Schnabel is quoted as exclaiming is “too difficult for adults and too easy for children”. An astonishing simplicity and delicacy with a palette of sounds that like the human voice can reveal so much with so little.
