PIANO RECITAL

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 109, 11 May 1931, Page 4

PIANO RECITAL

Mr. John Bishop is better known to most people in Wellington as a conductor than as a pianist, although he did give one recital shortly after his arrival here. Hence a piano recital given by him in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on Saturday evening was of considerable interest, and those present were more than satisfied by the fare provided. A well-balanced programme, embracing both the classics and the moderns, opened with the Bach-Busoni

"Chaconne." This fine work, written originally for the unaccompanied violin", gains immeasurably by i;s transcription for the piano, and Mr. Bishop's rendering was one of superlative excellence. Theme variations are followed by climax upon climax, the whole producing a powerful effect. The group of five Chopin studies which followed contained the well-known "Ballade, G Minor," ' '-Nocturne, • ¥ Sharp," "Study, A Flat," "Study, G Sharp Minor," and "J'antasie, 1? Minor." Which of these was the most appreciated'was a matter o£ taste, but all were played with a delicacy and understanding that did full justice to. their inherent charms. Modern composer., figuring on the programme were Debussy, John Ireland, and Scriabine. The suggestiveness o£ the French school wad well brought out in Debussy's "La Cathe'dralo finfrloutie"— the Breton legend; in John Ireland's "Ragamuffin" and "The Island Spell" one had the positive English school, the former being_ a delightful example of humour in music; whilst Scriabine's "tfantasie" gave one the gigantic tone poem conceivable only by that modern Russian. Altogether it was an intensely interesting programme, and the insistent applause showed how much it was appreciated. Mr. Bishop was assisted by l<ricdu Meier, who gave Milliard's "Sonata." This modern French composition for violinand piano is somewhat reminiscent of Cesar Francis, serene and majestic, and full of melodic idiom. A complete repetition would undoubtedly have pleased the majority of those present. The encores were a "Eeveric" by .Richard Strauss and a tmy Scriabine. "Prelude."