Tag: piano

REVIEW – Wakeman & Son @ The Corn Exchange, Devizes – Saturday 21st February 2026

Yes! Wakemans’ Journey To The Centre of Devizes!

by Andy Fawthrop

Rumours are swirling round that D-Town is about to launch a bid to be named the UK Town of Culture, and you have to think that we have to be in with a chance. Let’s face it – any competition that doesn’t use the state of the local roads as one of its yardsticks has to be worth entering….

And, as if by magic, up pops an event that, once again, proves that we’re punching above our weight.  We’ve already highlighted here in Devizine some of the amazing stuff that’s coming up over the coming months that will put us in with a shout, but last night at the Corn Exchange just went to prove what we can do here in our little town if we put our mind to it.

Despite relatively little advertising of the event, over 400 people snapped up tickets to see the return of rock legend Rick Wakeman to the stage last night, in a one-off “warm-up” gig for his forthcoming US tour, this time accompanied by son Oliver.  I guess it was a case of “If You Knew, You Knew”, and the event was a complete sell-out from weeks ago.  The room was so packed that the sound guys had to set up shop in the hall’s kitchen area and to work their magic through the hatch.  It was a bit tight in there, but we were all friends, so that didn’t matter one little bit.

The Wakemans are no strangers to this particular stage.  Rick appeared here a couple of years back with his outfit KGB (another cracking night that was), and his other son Adam has twice appeared with his band Jazz Sabbath (also highly recommended).  Looks like Longcroft Productions have got the inside track with the Wakeman family.

Rickman senior breezed onto the stage, belying his 76 years, and proceeded to wow the room with his first piece on the grand piano. He was shortly followed by elder son Oliver, and the two keyboard wizards then proceeded to deliver a two-hour plus show of absolutely stunning musicianship.  Moving easily between the five different keyboards on stage, the two men played a wide range of pieces including both relatively recent compositions, as well a goodly smattering of block-busters from the huge back catalogue.  And Rick told us that as a “warm-up” it was chance for them to experiment a little.  “You’re getting more here than the Americans are going to get.  You deserve it more than they do!”  Cue rapturous applause.

Image: Oliver Wakeman

It wasn’t just the music though. Father and son are both born raconteurs, and interspersed the items on the set list with some wonderful anecdotes.  We had stories of rescue dogs, marriages and weddings, of the Wakeman parents, of encounters with unwilling pub landlords, and even of previous encounters with our local Moonrakers. Some of which might help explain why “How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?” and “Sweet Georgia Brown” made short, yet unsurprising appearances in the set-list.  There was a lovely running gag about the exact date of Oliver’s birth, and how old he was at various times in the stories.  And it was great to see the obvious warmth and respect between the two men.

And of course there was plenty of time across the two hours (interrupted only by what Rick referred to as “the Bladder Break”) to explore themes from their musical pasts.  Both men have featured at various times in the different line-ups of Prog superstars Yes, from the 1970s onwards.  So there was a mash-up arrangement named “The Yes Suite”, followed by several of Rick’s solo ventures – “The Six Wives of Henry VIII”, “Myths & Legends of King Arthur”, and the stunning “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth”. We also journeyed round some older stuff from The Strawbs and David Bowie’s “Life On Mars”. 

Musically it was an absolute master-class.  To say that these guys know their way around a keyboard is to massively understate just how good they were.  As a night’s entertainment it was engrossing. Of course there was plenty of whooping and cheering, and a standing ovation.  And of course there was a two-hander encore.  Can I give it more than ten out of ten?  I would if I could.

And before the Wakemans finally disappear into the night, swirling cloaks and hair about their persons, just a word about the back-room boys.  You don’t get fabulous nights out like this without an enormous amount of background work and logistics.  So hats off to Paul Chandler of Longcroft Productions for even daring to bring this one off show to D-Town. And here’s also to the piano suppliers, to the piano-tuner, to the sound and light guys, to Wadworth for sponsoring, to the Corn Exchange staff and to the small army of volunteers.  A true team effort to bring together a really amazingly good night. Bravo to all concerned.

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REVIEW – Devizes Arts Festival – Duo Tutti @ Assembly Room 13th June 2024

A Lunchtime Amuse-Bouche

by Andy Fawthrop

Devizes Arts Festival’s programme continued on Thursday afternoon with a lunchtime classical concert in the beautiful surroundings of the Assembly Hall in the Town Hall.  Coming on a market day, it was no surprise that town was busy, and plenty of people used the opportunity to make their way to this splendid venue.

Duo Tutti is made up of Ruth Molins (flutes) and Alex Wilson (piano).  They are inspired by old and new music, creating sound worlds you might not expect to hear from a flute/ piano duo. Ruth plays a standard flute, alto flute, bass flute and the piccolo, accompanied by Alex’s piano.

Their programme was an interesting and eclectic mix of items, much of it from composers I’d not heard of before, but no the less enjoyable for that.

We started with the Sonata in F from Anna Amalia of Prussia (1723 -87).  This lady I was surprised to discover was the sister of Frederick The Great.  This piece in three movements, although simple in sound and structure, was bright, bouncy and just the thing to get started with.  There followed three very contrasting pieces from contemporary composers: John Rutter’s Suite Antique (in six short movements), Ruth’s own piece (Fuse for Bass Flute & Piano) and Elena Kats-Chernin’s Eliza’s Aria for Piccolo.  Each piece was delivered with freshness and confidence by the duo.

Keeping with the contemporary theme, we moved on to Arthur Butterworth’s Ukko, featuring the alto flute, and a piece that was slightly deeper and fuller, offering a darker, slower and slightly more discordant feeling throughout.  Then on to two “miniatures” from Constance Warren, the first being slow and thoughtful, and the second very short piece being much livelier.

Finally, slightly back in time to Jules Mouquet (1867 – 1946) for La Flute De Pan, a work in three short movements.  The first piece was sparkling, with many flourishes.  And, following the slower, quieter middle passage, the final section moved from a gentle fade-out, to another frothy champagne ending.

Throughout the concert the flutes were always to the fore, carrying the main themes, with the piano playing more of a supportive, sympathetic accompanying role.  But the combination worked splendidly, and provided a diverse and entertaining lunchtime concert.  Bravo!

You can find out more about Duo Tutti at www.duotutti.com/   

The Devizes Arts Festival is moving towards its end now, but there are still several events with tickets available, until Sunday 16th June at various venues around the town.  Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk

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REVIEW – Devizes Arts Festival – Ida Pelliccioli @ Assembly Room  10th June 2024 

World Class Piano

by Andy Fawthrop


And, following a lively few days of varied events over this last weekend, we’re now into Devizes Arts Festival’s second week.  And at last it was time for some serious classical music, and we were certainly treated to something special when Ida Pelliccioli played the Leslie Taylor Memorial Concert in the Assembly Room last night.  Once again the setting of the beautiful Assembly Hall perfectly matched the style and the quality of the entertainment.  Indeed this very room was constructed in the very early years of the 19th century, immediately after the deaths of three of the night’s composers.

Ida Pelliccioli is a world-renowned concert pianist who has performed throughout Europe, Canada and South Africa. She was born in Italy and studied in Nice and Paris and, since 2021, she has taught at the Paris Conservatoire.

Her selected programme last night, which was accompanied by extensive notes and a short introduction, was inspired by the forgotten music of ‘the Spanish Scarlatti’, composer Manuel Blasco de Nebra. 

We began with three short sonatas by the Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti (1685 – 1757).  The first and third of which were at a sparkling, lively tempo, whilst the second was slower and calmer.  However all three were played by Ida with plenty of gusto and attack.  All of them were very short, and this part of the programme was completed in only ten minutes.

The next section featured two fantasias by the Austrian Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791).  These two pieces seemed (to me at least) to possess a little more depth and substance.  And again we had the contrast between the dramatic and exciting first piece, set against the more romantic and portentous second piece.

There then followed two pieces by a Spanish composer I’d not previously heard of – Manuel Blasco de Nebra (1750 – 1784), whom Ida described as “the Spanish Scarlatti” and very much a composer that time seems to have forgotten.  These two sonatas were each in two movements: an adagio, followed by a more lively allegro.  I found them interesting and entertaining, but not as good as what had gone before.

And finally we came to another Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828).  Ida played his Drei Klavierstucke (three piano pieces) and, again, we had the structure of one piece that was thoughtful, melancholy, plangent and poignant sandwiched in between two pieces that were far more lively and exuberant.


The whole performance was both intense and mesmerising, played and presented by a world-class pianist who was clearly absolutely dedicated to her work, and completely on top of her game.  Entirely justifiably there was sustained applause at the end from a very appreciative audience, provoking not one, but two, short encores, the latter of which was an “impromptu” by the more modern Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957).

Another fabulous night at the Arts Festival, and thanks (yet again) to DAF for bringing such top-notch entertainment to our little town.  I only wish we had a lot more opportunities in D-Town to hear such wonderful classical music, played by a world-class musician.

The Devizes Arts Festival continues until Sunday 16th June at various venues around the town. 

Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk 

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Cookie Cutting with Andrew Hurst

Andrew Hurst appears at St Johns House in Devizes this Saturday, 27th May, courtesy of Devizes Rotary, for a Ukraine fundraiser, the same day he releases the solo piano album, Cookie Cutter Island [Do you know the way to], of which we’ve taken a sneaky preview of…….

I go to gigs, where the archetypal though talented acoustic musician prior to a headlining full band is kind of diluted by the memory of the band. Such is power in numbers, the combination and bearing of a band, or more so, an orchestra. Yet it takes a special someone who can hold you spellbound in the same manner, solo. But if you’re going to attempt it, piano is your friend.

Akin to a Scott Joplin recital, which you can envision ragtime of yore, of boxcars and trams running through New York’s bustling 19th century streets, Andrew Hurst undoubtedly has that skill to paint a masterpiece with sound.

Another textbook example is film-scoring, though the image is pre-nourished. There was a fascinating series of social media videos where renowned movies had the score taken away, and suddenly the impact is lost; the horror is hardly horrific at all, there is no thrilling suspense in that thriller. Shows how important the music is in film, and in turn the influence music has over us in general.

Andrew Hurst appears at St Johns House in Devizes this Saturday, 27th May, for a Ukraine fundraiser, where multi-instrumental goodness is promised. Yet while Andrew can make a guitar sing, whether filling a concert hall or busking in the Brittox, I’ve a sneaky peek at his strictly piano-based album Cookie Cutter Island [Do you know the way to], which, double-whammy, is released on the same day.

It’s as captivatingly emotive as a film score, and in a way, kind of is. This album is a sketch of music for a potential anime film Andrew has in mind. Now, I’m going to find it somewhere between difficult and impossible to write customary comparisons on this, my knowledge on classical piano is limited, but I know what I like, and that’s my angle! Cookie Cutter Island paints such a picture in one’s mind; a musical dreamcatcher, surreal, pensive and evocative, lingering in suspense and mood.

Andrew describes his vision similar to Disney’s Fantasia, I could argue against this, being Fantasia uses established classics, while Andrew has created his own. “Music first,” he explains, “and the plot came from the owner of Chard Bookshop, who sent a bizarre message; ‘do you know the way to cookie cutter island?’ My reply to her was the flow of the plot, that since has crystallised. Then the music was a case of arriving at the studio every two weeks with “I’ve no idea what I’m doing” but leaving that day with a track I wasn’t “allowed” to revisit: a sort of “enforced creativity” …. though each week later on I couldn’t stop preparing stuff once impetus caught up!”

This bout of when inspiration strikes, has the concentrated oriental narrative of Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West, with a fantastical and childlike expedition synopsis, involving Mitsuki, following her grandmother’s conspiratorial message to meet on “Cookie Cutter Island.” The tracks follow her progress, as she journeys to this mysterious place.

A fable filled with place-names associated with her mood, which also act as track listings, Temple of Regret, Tower of Fallen Heroes, or Sanctuary at Galaxywatch, the story is awash with samurai folklore, brimming with morals of love and honour. Such is the refined concept, it is an ambitious project, and animation is such a tedious process. Even if this vision doesn’t materialise, you can use the narrative in the sleeve notes, and almost see the animation flowing behind closed eyelids. The music commands this of you; as if I could reach out and immerse in it, at least how I would interpretate the music if I only had the artistic skill it warrants.

If forced to make comparisons, I’d offer movie themes, the Tangerine Dream fashioned Krzysztof Penderecki adaption for the Exorcist Theme immediately springs to mind, though Cookie Cutter Island is more graceful mood than chilling, and shards of Chopin, Schubert and particularly Debussy come into play. It ends on a high note, Bulls of Triangle Bridge is uplifting, and the finale Sanctuary at Galaxywatch precisely as the title suggests. Overall, it needs no visual stimuli, it’s enchanting and inspiring.

Pre-order Cookie Cutter Island [Do you know the way to]

Tickets for The Devizes Rotary Club Ukraine Fundraiser with Andrew Hurst, Saturday 27th May at St John’s House are £15, and include a glass of wine; available here

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