Penelope Thwaites

The perfect end to a sunny afternoon, this recital by visiting pianist Penelope Thwaites was held in the Melbourne Recital Centre salon. The venue was a good choice for a concert that was a display of musicianship in a friendly, almost familial atmosphere. It was performed in honour of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, whose own granddaughter was in the audience. Dame Elisabeth was a great supporter of Thwaites, herself an internationally renowned champion of the music of Percy Grainger. Some of the composer’s more esoteric ‘thoughts’ are carved into the Salon walls, which of course lent a particular relevance to the Grainger-centred program we heard. While we had to wait for the final items to hear his music, all other items were linked to Australia’s famous, idiosyncratic composer. First was Bach, loved by Grainger for his ‘world view’ and no doubt the source of his concept of ‘democratic polyphony’, 200 years after the master. Thwaites chose to perform Bach’s Great Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, arranged by Franz Liszt. Reports of Liszt’s large hands are greatly exaggerated, but the Fantasia appears to call for exceptional strength as well as dexterity. Thwaites excelled in the Fugue, which started more delicately, never losing sight of the recurring main theme and working towards a brilliant, emphatic ending. Thwaites (author of The New Percy Grainger Companion, and a wonderful source of anecdotes) told a touching story to introduce the next item: Grieg’s Slatter – four Norwegian folk dances, three of them for weddings. Grainger played them to the ageing and infirm composer, who confessed he had never before heard those works played. It was the beginning of a great friendship, with Grieg’s musical influence on Grainger evident in many works. Although the Slatter were originally for violin, Thwaites made them sound as if the piano were the natural medium for their performance, whatever the mood. The first was strong and joyful, the next more reflective and then wistful until the last, very much the dance. (It was easy to see why this music appealed to Grainger, and similarly, why Thwaites had so much enjoyment playing it. Debussy produced his Estampes in the same year as the Slatter and Grainger reputedly took these to heart as well. Thwaites showed why, with the impressions of a gamelan orchestra echoing through Pagodes, and a loving performance of the next two: La Soiree dans Grenade and Jardins Sous La Pluie. At last it was time for the love affair between Penelope Thwaites and Percy Grainger – encompassing more than his music, although her recording of 250 such tracks indicates much more than a passing fancy. Introducing him as ‘an extraordinary and eccentric musician … [with] … an absolutely marvellous range,’ Thwaites illustrated her point with four contrasting pieces. First was the quirky Arrival Platform Humlet, hands in unison at first and a sense of urgency, with an incredible run up the piano to end. Bridal Lullaby was beautifully played to bring out its elements of film, hymns and popular songs and Irish Tune from County Derry was gentle and sensitive, while completely free of the schmaltz that ‘Danny Boy’ can suffer. It was a good moment for Thwaites to comment on Grainger’s respectful attitude to the folk tunes he gathered and arranged, and an interesting contrast to the final work on the program: Scotch Strathspey and Reel. This was an excellent choice to end the program, as it showed the composer moving from the obvious tunes and rhythms of folk music to almost abstract territory, while exploring the full range of the piano. Like the evening itself, it lent itself to an appreciation both of Percy Grainger’s genius, and Penelope Thwaites’ mastery of her subject, at the piano and beyond. Rating: 4 stars out of 5   Penelope Thwaites (piano)   BACH transcribed LISZT Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 GRIEG Slåtter (Norwegian Dances) Op.72 – Selection DEBUSSY Estampes GRAINGER Selected works   Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre 20 March