on 25 May 2024

Glorious tone, graceful tenderness, and refined crystal clarity – pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen’s super-fine touch and skilful approach extracted the best from our Yamaha. The last movement of Beethoven’s Sonata Op 109 – its extremely beautiful theme with six variations – felt like a god-sent moment; intimately warm and touching. The way Mishka let the melody sing as if it had its own life, while decorating it with the lefthand accompaniment, was incredibly personal and heart-warming.

Mishka’s expressive tenderness and sensitivity doesn’t mean it was all soft and fragile. She expressed a wide range of tonal beauty, individuality and robustness. What an amazing account Mozart’s Rondo K511 was - born out of acute focus and thoughtfulness. It gave us a sense of resignation and despair, but also strength, expressed by incredibly gorgeous tones that reminded me of small sparkly pearls.

If I was forced to name a piece of the evening, it must be Mendelssohn’s Variations Serieuses, my all-time favourite. This masterpiece contained all aspects of piano playing – lyrical passages, dramatic scenes, muscular power, graceful poise, and virtuosic runs. Mishka’s technical brilliance was fully apparent, expressing them all with ease, while engaging the audience throughout.

Rarely heard Renaissance composers Orlando Gibbons and William Byrd added a unique twist to the evening’s programme. They are included in Mishka’s new CD, Reformation, that will be released in June. Breinton guests had access to them prior to the official release date and enthusiasticaly bought copies!

Schumann’s Vogel als Prophet from Waldszenen, a piece that is close to Mishka’s heart, completed the evening.