Cooper journeys through works of three 19th century master composers.

Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre

August 26, 2014

On Tuesday evening at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Imogen Cooper led an attentive audience on a journey through the works of three master composers of the 19th century. This was an impressive recital right from the beginning to the very last note of the encore. Brahms’ arrangement for solo piano of the Theme and Variations from his own first string sextet opened the program. This work has a noble theme followed by variations which contain increasingly florid figurations before the work winds down to a gentle place of rest. This emotional shape was to be a familiar thread throughout the recital and in the Brahms, Cooper gleaned tremendous moments of beauty from each variation and bookended them with a delivery of the opening theme and concluding bars which made the work grow and subside with a powerful unifying spirit.

The next work on the program was the Davidsbündlertänze by Schumann. This piano cycle is very unique amongst Schumann’s other famous examples such as the Carnaval, Fantasiestücke or Kreisleriana. In general, the Carnaval has a mix of shorter and longer pieces that mingle...