On September 16, the Calcutta School of Music presented the Canadian pianist, Mathieu Gaudet (picture), in a recital at the Sandré Hall. Commencing with J.S. Bach’s French Suite No 3 in B Minor, Gaudet introduced each of the pieces offered with succinct, but picturesquely articulated, descriptions. After the usual analysis of counterpoint, he explained how the French Suites, though considered lighter than the six English Suites, are distinguished by some exquisite moments.

He played each of the six dance movements in a style both robust and delicate, if that can be conceived, enhanced by a judicious and skilful use of the pedal. This should have been instructive to the few students present that evening, young pianists are generally in two minds about the use of the pedal when taking Bach on. Robert Schumann’s Davidbündlertänze is a cycle of 18 short pieces unified by their sense of adventure and their exploration of the carnival element in evening dances. As in all the Schumann cycles, it contains the characteristics of joy, dance, romance and poignancy, not to mention an underlying thread of sinister anticipation of the end to come. However, this late cycle reflects a mature stage in the composer’s style, marked by the five-note ‘Clara’ motive throughout as a tribute to his wife. Gaudet is a pianist of such versatility that he evoked the distinctive character of the whimsical title of each dance: “With humour”, “A little outrageously”, “Wild and merrily”, “Gentle and singingly” or “From a distance”.

Beethoven’s Sonata in E Major, Opus 109, was composed in 1820. This important sonata contains some of the most mature and progressive ideas in Beethoven’s corpus. It consists of three movements in a rather unconventional order: “Not too fast”, “Very quickly” and “As if singing, with the most intimate fervour”. Gaudet seemed to be in his elements in every musical mode, bringing out the cantabile of the last movement, and its variations of increasing contrapuntal complexity until the exuberant climactic trill.

With the recent release of his CD of the 24 Rachmaninov Preludes, it was quite fitting that he concluded this recital with six of the Preludes, beginning with the popular C Sharp Minor, played with great control and passion. Gaudet possesses that rare ability to sustain the freshness of his musical articulacy, inviting comparison to the way Gould and Richter played. It is now not surprising that our audiences approach a recital apprehensively, given the reputation of the CSM’s eccentric old Bösendorfer grand, which, despite its marvellous richness of tone, will suddenly spring cruel surprises on the unsuspecting virtuoso with an unwanted sustained note or a descending tonal pitch (is there a tuner in the house?).

Gaudet dealt with all this with supreme poise, and was forgiven for the one false chord in the first Rach prelude by an understanding and sympathetic audience completely charmed by all that went before and after.