Leamington Music’s promising prizewinners deliver

‘TWAS strictly tango at the Bridge House Theatre thanks to the very intelligent and creative arranging efforts of the Hepplewhite Piano Trio.

Taking Piazzolla’s Vivaldi-inspired Four Seasons, Hepplewhite promote their own inimitable version of arrangements by José Bragato, whose cellos put him in the vanguard of Neuvo tango. Hetti Price’s cello contribution was extraordinary – playing the strings below the bridge, providing moments of much amusement and with nimble fingers at breakneck speed at times.

Amy Littlewood’s crisp, lively violin-leading stole many of the Vivaldi reminders - City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra violin-playing father in the audience would have approved of the collaboration within the trio, thanks, in no small part to the pace, energy and timing by pianist Fan Yu. He took the lead in Haydn’s Piano Trio in G, maintaining solid control in the adagio before starting the explosion of gypsy themes in the finale.

Chuen-An Chern shared the Bridge House stage and the prizewinning of the 2012 Leamington Music Competition. As a close colleague of Fan Yu, both Taiwanese nationals, both Birmingham Conservatoire graduates, she will soon embark on a professional career. Playing works by Chopin, Prokofiev, and an eccentric Guilda piece, she showed an influential left hand driving the jazzed-up themes.

Returning post-interval, Chern tackled Brahms’ Six Pieces Opus 118, dedicated to Clara Schumann, showing deliberate phrasing in Intermezzo in A and fine control in Intermezzo in E flat (the last of the six). Many in the audience will enjoy tracking the professional careers of this year’s very promising prizewinners.

Clive Peacock