Mozart
Sonata E flat, K282; Variations G on Gluck's Arietta 'Unser dummer Pöbel meint', K455; Fantasia and Sonata in C minor, K475/457

Andreas Staier (fortepiano)
19 December Wigmore Hall
Monday 26 December 2005 13:00-14:00 (Radio 3)

Long admired - nay, worshipped - for his recordings, this first hearing of Andreas Staier live was a treasured experience.

Each item of his well chosen Mozart selection emerged with greater stature heard on a fine McNulty copy of a Walter fortepiano than sometimes as played by even the most eminent pianists still wedded to Steinway.

It is unlikely that more than a few of the large audience at this BBC Lunchtime Concert departed still unconvinced. There were many arresting moments of phrasing and ornamentation in the earlier Mozart sonata to grab attention, but the over-riding impression was the rightness of sound and interpretation of this, one of the loveliest and most original of the series. Likewise, the choice of the Gluck variations was a good one, covering a wide expressive range; using the two knee-pedals, he created a colouful tapestry of sound. Mozart's variations are sometimes thought of as poor relations in the piano oeuvre;not so yesterday.

The great Fantasia and Sonata (the latter following without pause) was the culmination of a captivating hour, all the music given with a clear impression that not every detail was not fixed beforehand, Staier's generous rubato and impulsiveness conveying a feeling of spontaneity, that the music was being created as it was being played. Andreas Staier is virtuosic, no question, yet not one of those immaculate perfectionists who pride themselves on never playing a wrong note; there were occasional smudges, even one note that failed to sound - but our impression was that he was not troubled, nor were we.

So this recital is of special value and importance to set against the Harmonia Mundi CD boxes.

But there is a paradox. These Radio 3 series of lunchtime concerts are normally broadcast live. But not this week, because the R3 wavelength is dedicated exclusively to Bach Christmas (the complete works continuously, morning, afternoon, evening and right through the night for 24 hours, 16-25 December - scope for several entries in the Guiness Book of Records here, one from a listener who heard it all, no doubt?!).

So, to listen to this important broadcast at home, you will need to book an appointment with your radio (or recording machine) for 1 p.m. on Boxing Day, when Bach Christmas will have given way to a Mozart week...

Hopefully, some supplementary comments to Musical Pointers may be added after the broadcast. And finally, a wish that Andreas Staier's next passage through London might be for more than one hour's playing? Maybe we can hope for a full length recital and a master class at one of the colleges?