Venetian pianist makes massive impact on midday concert audience (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Venetian pianist makes massive impact on midday concert audience

10:10am Sunday 20th November 2011 in Gig and concert reviews By Brian Paynes

Alessandro Taverna,

Kendal Town Hall

Alessandro Taverna, a young Venetian pianist, recently excited the always discerning members of the Kendal Midday Concert Club rather more than is usual. He was but a few bars into his recital but already it was apparent that here was a pianist for whom every note, every chord and every phrase was of the greatest importance; his music-making, in fact, stimulated the senses in much the same way as does a visit to his native city. In it were moments of sheer beauty, interpretations demonstrating his understanding of musical architecture plus the surest sense of taste and refinement, all of which gave rise to a feeling of wonderment.

Taverna is an artist with a near total command of his instrument. Each item bore witness to this - his Mendelssohn, his Chopin, Rachmaninov, Busoni and his Dohnányi displayed, in a variety of ways, his superlative technique and musicianship. Sparkling finger dexterity, melodic flow and projection, imaginative phrasing, immaculate chord-balancing, interesting pedalling and the widest range of tonal nuance and dynamic colour were all there, seductively presented on a silver platter for our fascination and delight.