Gershwin at St. Martin-in-the-fields.

Just went and saw a guy called Warren Mailley-Smith play a piano in St. Martin-in-the-Fields church. Well, heard anyway. We (Hannah, Paul et Moi), were stuck behind the pulpit, but most of the time I prefer not to watch an artist at such events as it kind of detracts from the music.

It was very beautiful.

I love, love, love it when a piano is teamed with an orchestra. Some of my favourite pieces are concertos. I’m not such a fan of the lone piano – I have to be in the right mood in the right atmosphere to really enjoy that. But then, SMITF, was definitely the right atmosphere. It was sublime. He played four Chopin pieces (Nocturne in C#, Balade No 1 in G min, Waltz in E min & Souvenires de Paganini), Beethoven’s “Appassionata” in F Minor and the “Moonlight” (C# minor!) sonata’s, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G Minor and the frontispiece – Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. He even gave us an encore – a Liszt piece.

It was really, really lovely. And it’s the first time I’ve been inside SMITH, as last time I was here they were still patching it up. I also saw the famous egg – and totally failed to remember my camera so I didn’t get any pictures of it. Although, weirdly, I had Déjà vu on the egg. I’m more than sure I’ve seen it before.

Anyway, divine concert, literally.