A Piano recital

CHRIST CHURCH,

BROAD STREET, BRISTOL CITY, BS1 2EJ

A piano recital given by

BRENDA McDERMOTT

Wednesday, 17th April, 2024 at 1.10pm

Music by Frederic Chopin, (1810 – 1849)

Grande Valse Brillante, Op 34 No.1 in A flat

Berceuse, Op 57 in D flat

Etude, Op 10 No.12 in C minor “Revolutionary”

Fantasie Impromptu, Op 66

Nocturne, Op 9 No.2 in E flat

Scherzo, Op 31 No.2 in B flat minor

Brenda McDermott started her career early, playing for BBC radio and appearing on television while still at school. She developed her skills at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying under Harold Craxton and Max Pirani.

While still a student Brenda met and married the established pianist Denis Matthews, and together they became known for their partnership in four-hand duets and two piano duets and concertos. They worked with many of the world’s finest orchestras, establishing a particular relationship with the London Symphony Orchestra, and had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with performers from many disciplines, including a memorable performance of the Carnival of the Animals narrated by Johnnie Morris.

Her first solo Wigmore Hall recital confirmed her place as one of the country’s most versatile and articulate pianists, with a highly-praised programme ranging from early Beethoven to Stravinsky. Her ability to cope with the most technically demanding and emotionally complex of pieces drew the attention of Tyne Tees Television, for whom she recorded three highly-regarded series of recitals.

She shows an obvious affinity for the Viennese classics and the romantic virtuoso composers, especially notable in her performances of Liszt’s B minor Sonata and the Brahms concertos, and while touring Latin America won particular praise for her performance of Chopin. A review in the Scotsman said her approach to Chopin was “more poetic than many of her Warsaw trained contemporaries”.

In next Wednesday’s recital, here on 24th April at 1.10p.m.,

VICTORIA ZGOLKA (Violin)(aged 16) &

JAMES WILLSHIRE (Piano) (Stars of the Future Series)

will play Mozart Sonata in E minor, and Wieniawski ‘Fantaisie Brillante sur Faust’

Admission free Retiring Collection

(Coffee and tea are available before and after the recital.