Concerto Cristofori at Binham Concerts
Binham Priory (on Warham Road), Binham, Norfolk
Concerto Cristofori
James Gilchrist tenor
Sharona Joshua Schantz fortepiano
Schubert Die Schone Mullerin Op.25, D.795
“I’ve just got back to Prestatyn after the first of the lunchtime concerts in the Town Hall. I may have left the concert but there’s no way it’s going to leave me for a very long time, if ever.
Schubert’s “Die Schöne Müllerin†(The Fair Maid of the Mill) is usually thought of as a song cycle but what we experienced today was more akin to a miniature opera.
As the miller moved from first love, through passion and jealousy to suicidal despair, James Gilchrist made us see and share those emotions in a performance that came close to acting. Sometimes that can all too easily detract from the actual voice but here it added a further dimension. His spinetingling singing was glorious and wholly at the service of the music. What we saw was a man suffering the bitter pangs of unrequited love and what we heard was every single nuance of his emotions rendered in glorious sound.
Nor was Sharona Joshua’s fortepiano a mere accompaniment, it was the miller’s true companion on his journey. The lighter tones of the fortepiano, exquisitely played worked superbly with the voice to enable the audience to share in an emotional journey of rare passion.
The rapport between the performers was palpable as they gave us a Schubert to see as well as hear; it was a privilege to be there.”
Victor Hallett – Festival Web Diary (LLandudno)
