When it comes to Professor Kenneth Hamilton, who is his own right has an established reputation as a concert pianist, I came to his concert with the expectation of a mesmerizing listening experience. This themed and ambitious program, consisting of a homage to Liszt, came across well as favorites of the performer. Hamilton made this clear from the outset. The Steinway in the concert hall was also exploited to its full effect, with the colorful pedaling and rhythmic polish shining through the acoustic. The emotional depth and vibrancy in this concert require quite a thorough exploration.
The first piece, Liszt’s ‘The Lorelei’, was an emotive work about a beautiful woman who sailors at sea adored to look at. Before his performance, Hamilton addressed his audience of music students effectively and appropriately, which put the audience at ease. It was useful to have the motifs he described as a reference point throughout the piece. The gorgeous melodic sparkles in the higher register of the piano were particularly enjoyable to listen to. My enjoyment was due to the atmosphere he created with these details, and these made for my favorite moments in the concert. The fermata and pedals were used very effectively to create rubato, and there was enough light and shade throughout the piece to keep it interesting. There was also a tenderness and longing to the overall sound world, which was both beautiful and touching. All these features of Hamilton’s performance made for a strong opening to this lunchtime concert.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
The second piece was a sonata in B minor, which was my least favorite piece of the program. The issue was the length of the piece, which meant it was easy to become disengaged at points during the piece. Also, the lack of literary context meant that it was difficult with me to engage with this piece. However, despite this, Hamilton’s technical skill was extremely impressive, and he performed this sonata with poise and elegance. There was security and finesse in his playing, which came over well and there was enough musical drama throughout to create interest and surprise. He also impressively performed the twenty-six-minute piece from memory, and provided an explanation of the melodic devices, such as motifs, before his performance. Some lovely moments included the grace and warmth of the lyrical sections of the development, with plenty of expressive dissonance to convey emotion. The passion and rhythmic ability in the faster passages where the highlights of the piece, and in these moments the audience were transfixed due to it being the crux of the piece. Lastly, the distinction between pedaled triads and shorter ones were perfectly accurate and precise, which made for an intriguing and atmospheric listen in the exposition and recapitulation.
The final piece of the program gave more variety to the overall program, as it is an arrangement of Liebestod from ‘Tristan und Isolde’. The literary content of the piece also created variety, as it was more a romantic drama. From his performance, it was clear that Hamilton understood the storyline of the piece from start to finish. The distinctive leitmotifs and extended chords made for a more varied listen, and was an imaginative interpretation considering the piece is from an opera. The principal melodies were really brought out by Hamilton, which alludes to the operatic nature of the piece. The tonal nuances in the piano also portrayed the emotional depth very effectively, with the principal melodies often having decorative embellishments. Drama was also heightened by the washes of sound in the bassline and rising melodic passages, which made for a satisfying listen.
To conclude, Hamilton was a friendly and passionate performer who has an exceedingly high level of technical skill. The lack of sheet music enhanced the passion and interpretation of the pieces and displayed his skill. Although the length of the second piece brought the response down from the audience, this was not enough to bring down the overall response from the audience, and my enjoyment of the concert.
Stuck on your essay?
