The comparativist

Mr. Lloyd had a simple programme made to explore the breadth of Romanticism. And by means of Chopin’s nationalistic Mazurkas & Polonaises, and with a couple of Rachmaninoff’s late-Romantic, emotional and virtuosic pieces, Mr. Lloyd's intentions were more than achieved, all to the great pleasure of Christ Church’s crowd, which recognised Mr. Lloyd’s energetic performance with this year’s first standing ovation, particularly prompted by his «Sonata n.º 2 in B flat (op. 36), 1913 version». But Mr. Lloyd not only dominates the «forte» aspect of the piano, but the «piano» itself: from where I sat I saw his extensive use of the una corda pedal, which served to draw our ears to the softer passages, which set a thunderous contrast in the passages that were played without it. I particularly enjoyed his other Rachmaninoff piece, Arcadi Volodos' piano adaptation of Op. 21 N.º 7, «How fair this spot?». All in all, today was a great day for music, and an auspicious beginning of a pian...