Philip James Leslie at St Mary’s Perivale
‘On wings of song’ with artistry and integrity
I think five years have passed since I first heard Phillip play in Perivale. He won a top prize in the Liszt Society Competition and later was invited to stand in at the last minute for an indisposed pianist. The difference now in five years is quite astonishing as a fine student pianist has turned into an artist .Could it be the air in Scotland which is where he has been perfecting his studies after finishing at Trinity Laban in London. A pianist now who listens so carefully to all he does and plays with great sensitivity and sense of colour. Never a hard sound but his very pianistic fingers are like limpets clinging to each key and extracting the sounds they contain without any unnecessary hitting the keys or any extrovert showmanship.
A beautiful programme that gave Phillip the possibility to explore the beautiful sounds that are hidden in this box of hammers and strings for those with ears to search and extract them. Of course one needs a sense of balance and musicianship allied to a technical preparation not only of the fingers but above all the use of the pedals. It was Anton Rubinstein who said the pedals are the soul of the piano and a careful use of the pedals allied to a sense of balance can give the impression that this percussion instrument can sing as well as any singer! Phillip showed us just that today.
