Kenny Fu’s New Artist Recital for the Keyboard Trust Steinway Hall, London
Kenny offered the audience, who filled the Steinway concert room to capacity, a very attractive programme, starting with the gem that is Bach’s Prelude No 10 in E minor arranged – and transposed to B minor – by Russian pianist, conductor and composer Alexander Siloti. Kenny Fu gave a tasteful account of the piece, although to me it wasn’t clear Kenny understood ‘why’ Bach’s left hand became Siloti’s right hand.
Haydn E minor Sonata was technically excellent and the Adagio had that feeing of improvisation, though the Presto and Vivace molto could have benefited for some of the with and humour of the recently departed Alfred Brendel.
The first Transcendental Etude by Liszt, in G minor was delivered with all the virtuosity required, but the fully-opened magnificent Steinway Model D was too loud for the room. Finger virtuosity is a gift Kenny has in him naturally; he now need to refine his ”ear’ virtuosity, that is listen to the balance of the voices in the music. Liszt’s 104 Soneto del Petrarca was expressed eloquently but will in time gain the intimacy it calls for.
Kenny Fu is a natural Chopin player and the selection of Masterpieces he offered proved that. My personal view is that the left hand in the ‘Revolutionary’ Etude, Op.10 No.12 ought to be more turbulent and dramatic and the right hand octaves and chords should add ‘colour’ to the left hand. And the ‘accelerando’ also has a meaning.The second Scherzo had drama and suspense. I’d suggest that Kenny takes heed of the fact that the desperate cry is in the 6th bar chord, not on the B flat of the preceding bar, which is a mere upbeat to the chord. An exquisite Mazurka in C minor, Op 56 No.3, preceded the final Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Op.22, played with authority and conviction.’
Alberto Portugheis
