2010 is the 200th anniversary of the births of Chopin and Schumann and Sarah Beth Briggs gave us a performance of hair-raising intensity and leaping, bounding energy.

Schumann’s Papillons of 1831 depicts a rich and dramatic masquerade, a harbinger of his Carnaval of a few years later. Briggs played with a rich, controlled concentration, the extraordinary Finale full of light and colour.

Chopin’s Fantasy in F minor finally stirred with an excited good humour after the funeral march themes.

The convolutions of Schumann’s Arabeske were negotiated effortlessly and Chopin’s violent Scherzo was no match for Brigg’s float like a butterfly, sting like a bee technique.

The Barcarole was a sunny and sensuous change of mood, and Schumann’s Kinderszenen was almost a light relief but received no less care. If it was a child’s colouring book, it had been coloured in by Rackham or Dulac.

The third Ballade was characterised by an elegant humanity with a rich and glamorous ending. A few bars’ false start seemed almost artful, in case we should forget Briggs’ technical brilliance A carpet had been thoughtfully placed under the piano, so that we would not be left deaf by Chopin’s masterpiece, the fourth Ballade. John Ogdon, quoting from The Great Gatsby, called it ‘a romantic communion of unbelievable intensity.’ It was.

Short expositions between the pieces were a delightful punctuation, and presumably gave a moment’s rest to the pianist, who had a powerful unflagging energy which did not diminish throughout the length of this demanding programme.

Review by Charles Hunt