The 22nd June marked the final concert in the MCCS 2024-2025 season, with Wayne Marshall at the piano. Wayne is an internationally acclaimed pianist, organist, and conductor, who is particularly well-known for his interpretations of the music of Gershwin, Bernstein and other twentieth-century American composers. What made this concert different, however, was the lack of pre-announced programme. Not because Wayne wanted to keep it under cover until the performance; rather, there could not be a programme as this was an evening of improvisation.
The themes for Wayne’s improvisations ranged from those as commonplace as church hymn tunes (selected by the audience, no less) to the staples of the twentieth-century American repertoire, with Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess and Bernstein’s West Side Story offering the basis for two extended improvisations. Scintillating passagework, ravishing harmonies and even a brief fugato in 5/8 time were all on display in what was a quite extraordinary journey into the spontaneous mind of a virtuoso. He offered a refreshing reminder that at its core, music is a living, breathing act of creation, and one that involves listening – to oneself, as much as to one another.
Jamie Cochrane
jamiecochrane.com