The third of our experimental Sunday afternoon piano recitals featured Julia Hartmann on the 13th January in a programme of classical and romantic music.

An interesting and unusual first item was the Brahms left hand arrangement of Bach`s great D minor Chaconne originally written for solo violin.This very difficult work was tackled with great skill and dexterity where careful use of the sustaining pedal is of paramount importance in creating the illusion of a two handed composition.

Following this, the three movement Beethoven "Walstein" sonata in C provided a tour de force leading up to the interval.This well known and exciting work was clearly and articulately played helped by clever and subtle control of tempi where necessary to contain the headlong rush of notes. After the brilliant allegro of the first movement,a short and sonorous Adagio leads into the sublime final Rondo.Here the melody soars over a running semi-quaver base with each of the "episodes"progressing in difficulty until the final Prestissimo This has notorious finger breaking octave glissandos and lengthy sustained trills leading eventually to a gradual descent to the final chords.

After the interval, Julia played two Schumann works from ops. 82 and 12--"Abschied" from Waldszenen and Auschwung"from Fantasiestucke.These preceeded Liszt`s "Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude" from "Harmonies poetique et religieuses" and finally two Rachmaninov compositions--the C minor Prelude Op 23 and his arrangement of Kreisler`s "Liebesleid".

All these romantic works were played with the utmost sensitivity and were characterised by beauty of tone and delightful pianissimos especially in the Liszt and Rachmaninov where another of this Russian composer`s Preludes was played as an encore to the delight of the audience who showed their wholehearted appreciation of this greatly gifted artist.

P.B.

Julia Hartmann

Julia Hartmann has performed in more than twenty countries, most recently in Austria and the Czech Republic. Her London recital venues, both in a piano duo and as a soloist, include St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Steinway Hall and the Crush Room of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Further UK venues have included Snape Maltings, the Djanogly Recital Hall, Nottingham, the Usher Gallery, Lincoln, Croxteth Hall, Liverpool and the Colour House Theatre, Wimbledon. She has also given lecture recitals for Saga Classical Music Holidays and has performed widely as a classical artist on P&O Cruise ships.

Concerto performances have included Messiaen’s ‘Couleurs de la Cité Céleste’ with the Twentieth Century Ensemble of the Royal College of Music, conducted by Edwin Roxburgh, and concertos by Liszt and Beethoven with the Nottingham Philharmonia and the Nottingham Chamber Orchestra. She has also featured extensively on British radio.

Born in Liverpool, she studied initially with Heather Slade-Lipkin (Chethams School of Music) gaining an LTCL performing diploma at the age of sixteen, as well as an LGSM performing diploma, which she passed with honours. She then studied at Nottingham University gaining a BA Honours degree in Music with first class honours in performance. Julia continued as an RCM Exhibitioner on the Advanced Studies Course at the Royal College of Music under John Barstow, forming a piano trio and winning the Percy and Dorothy Coates Piano Trio prize in her first term. She received coaching from the Chilingirian Quartet and the Britten Quartet, and graduated with an ARCM diploma in piano performance.

Julia Hartmann became a Steinway Artist in April 2011

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