In a programme of Chopin's piano music Wasa Hasegawa gave us two nocturnes, four Mazurkas, a Scherzo and a Sonata. A wonderful range of Chopin's mastery of the piano.
It is always good when a recitalist says if only a few words to her audience. Wasa Hasegawa came to the front of the dais to dedicate Chopin's well known Funeral March to people suffering in our world today - it gave a poignancy to her playing.
The recital had started with two dreamy and relaxing Nocturnes before we were brought to our senses with Four Mazurkas. As a boy Chopin had seen and heard an old country dance from Mazovia, a village near Warsaw. During his lifetime he was to compose some sixty or so mazurkas. We heard the four mazurkas written during his first years in Paris in 1832 and 1833.
Wasa Hasegawa has a well established career internationally especially for the piano duo with Joseph Tong - Piano 4 Hands. The final programmed work was the fourth of Chopin's four Scherzos, composed in 1842 - a bright and cheery piece.
It was just a shame that the order of play of the programme notes did not coincide with the programme at the beginning of the booklet.
Event: Monday 18th August 2014 at 12.30pm