Pianist Sofia Sacco gave a concert that was a wonderful end to the 75th Season of the Boston Concert Club. Sofia has an engaging personality and she mingled with us before the concert, at the interval and afterwards and this was appreciated by an enthusiastic audience.
Sofia began the concert with three of Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues op. 87, well-chosen to reflect the scope and breadth of these pieces written in 1951 and premiered by Tatiana Nikolayeva. Sofia showed her great technical ability and also her feeling for the music. Sofia has just recorded the whole set and her CD will be released later this year.
Sofia then played pieces by the twentieth century Italian composer, Respighi, better known for his orchestral Roman trilogy, and the baroque composer Clementi. Respighi’s Nocturne was one of the few pieces he wrote for piano – on the evidence of this one, what a pity there are so few – then Sofia played an exquisite Sonata by Clementi.
During the interval there was a buzz of pleasure as the audience enthused about Sofia’s playing.
After the interval we heard Couperin’s Les Barricades Mystérieuses and followed by the delightful Le Coucou by Daquin, I loved this piece, it felt very springlike. Sofia then played for us Rameau’s Les Cyclops and followed with the magnificent Toccata in E minor by J.S. Bach, before three more of Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues.
As one of our members said “it isn’t often we get the audience on their feet” and he felt that this concert was the highlight of the season. Sofia gave an encore of Bach’s transcription of Marcello’s Adagio and again this brought some of the audience to their feet.
There were lots of positive comments afterwards, the most common being “what an amazing talent!”
This was a fine end to what has been a wonderful series of concerts and our thanks must go to Steve Boycott, our Chairman and Concert Secretary, for his imaginative programming. Hope to see you all next season.
CM