Clarity and fluidity defined Gabriela Montero's performance at Milton Court, London, where the Venezuelan pianist delivered a radiant Spanish-themed recital that ventured from classical masterpieces to audience-inspired improvisations.
A Return to Improvisation
Improvisation, once a staple of concert platforms from Mozart to Liszt, Bach to Messiaen, has largely disappeared from live performances. But Gabriela Montero has spent her career reviving this art. In her solo recital at the Barbican, the audience eagerly awaited not just the programmed works but also the spontaneous creations that have become her hallmark.
The Spanish Programme
The formal part of the evening featured Iberia, a collection spanning 250 years of music inspired by Spain. Works by Chopin, Domenico Scarlatti, and Liszt sat alongside those of local composers Granados, Albéniz, and Mompou. Montero's lucid playing brought clarity and fluidity to each piece, finding internal logic with unforced ease. She wove Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonata in C sharp minor with his G major Sonata and two sonatas by his pupil Antonio Soler, creating a continuous, larger work that shone with the precise radiance of a Zurbarán painting. Albéniz's tempestuous 'Triana' and swaggering 'Sevilla' followed, along with Liszt's Rhapsodie Espagnole, a mercurial and dazzling closer delivered with expansive bravura.
However, the abundance of short works limited the depth, leaving a sense of postcard-Spain. Granados's Eight Valses Poéticos offered a brief off-road excursion with its elegant miniatures, but the programme lacked substantial meat. Montero compensated with fun: three improvisations based on audience suggestions.
Audience-Inspired Improvisations
Unfazed when a young girl requested ABBA's 'Mamma Mia', Montero transformed it into a lushly modal rhapsody. The Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun' became first an earnest Purcellian number, its syncopated rhythm evoking a Scotch snap, before swinging into a ragtime finale. These unexpected bonuses delighted the audience, providing a holiday surprise that left everyone smiling.
