Angelina Kopyrina in Portchester

Angelina Kopyrina, St. Mary's, Portchester, Jul 31 

St. Mary's, Portchester is a picturesque venue within the walls of Portchester Castle. Not having been to a concert there before, an appearance by local pianist, Angelina, provided the ideal opportunity to go and have a look. Intimate and appealingly parochial, I felt the return of that feeling one sometimes gets that there's nowhere one would rather be. Angelina's repertoire is committedly Romantic, from Beethoven to Rachmaninov at least but having gone there not necessarily intending to write about it, one comes away not wanting to leave such an occasion unremarked. For more detail and eulogy, please see previous write-ups of her performances here. It all still applies but one doesn't want to repeat oneself more than one can help.

Beethoven's a 'Romantic' composer according to me. The Sonata, op 31 no. 3, from 1802, is relatively early, as upbeat as its markings like vivace and presto could possibly expect. While music generally has an audience rather than spectators who listen rather than watch, I'm always glad of a view of the keyboard because it explains what's happening. Such fashions can change. Those who attended Shakespeare's plays in his day went to 'hear' them we don't now, we go to see them. Thus I was most taken with the Allegretto Vivace second movement in which the right hand suddenly takes over the left hand's work in the dynamic rhythm part.

It has to be said if we one day arrive at a time when Chopin is not the most played composer in solo piano recitals then I'd probably be among the first to ask why not. Devoted Kopyrina followers know to expect 'her natural virtuosic, passionate and powerful interpretations' so I'm also in the market for what else she can do and the Ballade No. 4, op, 52 brought with it soft light ahead of more customary surging rhapsody.

Ordinary mortals are not advised to attempt to waltz to Liszt's no. 1 in A major. The lingering middle section would be no easier than the blazing torrents of energy that only demons should consider but that's Liszt for you. Abandon hope, all waltzers who enter here. So, in some ways, the devil in the Kopyrina repertoire being taken as read, it was the exquisite delicacy that one might remember from today in Portchester. She can do that very well indeed, it's just that she mostly chooses to line up the f's and give the piano something to remember her by. 

And that is surely it for a while as regards live, local music - until September. It's said, something like, you don't know what you had until it's gone but I do because I remember previous Augusts. One doesn't need a holiday from good, worthwhile things.