Passed by the Hole in the wall on the way, not much changed in the 25 years I have been using the place. A worthy successor to the winos' cider & sarnies refuge that I first knew more than 45 years ago.
Pollin last heard mid 2011 (see June 28th in the other place). No record of the Tempest, Waldstein last heard autumn 2011 at St. Luke's (see September 10th), Hammerklavier last heard, at the same place, a few weeks later (see November 25th). A quick peek at what I said before suggests that there is not much new to say today.
However, I had been concerned that the concert would be rather too long, with 2 substantial and 1 very substantial sonatas, with it taking a fair bit of revision to get me back into the Hammerklavier way of thinking. As it turned out, Pollini had no trouble holding my attention for the duration. This despite there being a young boy a couple of rows ahead of me who spent most of the time fidgeting; far too young for this particular sort of thing. He must have been a real pain for the chap sitting immediately behind him, while I was able to block him out for most of the time. Parents presumably some or all of pushy, thoughtless and selfish.
Bravura performance on the Steinway Fabbrini, a model I had not noticed before, belied by his modest and restrained platform manners. No less than two encores, one restrained and one flambouyant. No idea what they were.
There were some Italians in the audience to cheer on their man. There was also a chap who explained to his companion on his way out that while Pollini was OK, he was not a patch on Brendall doing the Hammerklavier for his 70th birthday, valedictory concert, at the same place, back in 2001 - when he would have been about the same age as Pollini is now. Not sure when I last heard him. Even more irritating were two prats on the train. The young prat kept up a very florid conversation with his mobile phone all the way to Epsom (his only saving grace was that he knew Dawlish well, a place where I have spent quality time) while the old prat wanted to play Radio 4 (some sort of a chat show) on his mobile phone, but he did have the grace to turn it off when I stood up and glared at him - but I wondered afterwards whether he had thought that chat show was better than florid show.
PS 1: Google suggests that Pollini travels with his own piano, substantially rebuilt by S. Fabbrini. See the Boston Musical Intelligencer. Must cost a fortune. He also cared enough to have it visited by the piano tuner during the interval. His personal piano tuner? Does he travel with the piano, in the hold?
PS 2: I bought our tickets rather late in the day in rather a hurry, to find on the day that the seat behind me had been sold even later at near £10 less than I paid. Must be more careful. But I shall continue to avoid the upper circle which, on a quick visit during the interval, I found both remote from the stage and vertigo inducing.
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