ARTA Arnicane was introduced as “one of our favourite performers”.

And indeed she has great charisma, charming the audience immediately with a story of how she almost missed a flight from Prague.

Apparently there was an old upright piano in the departure lounge and, unable to pass without playing, she soon forgot the time until she heard her name in a warning announcement for her flight and she had to run to catch the plane.

Her programme started with Mozart’s Sonata in F major, K332 which she accomplished with considerable polish, nicely distinguishing the four movements. She is a graceful, stylish pianist with a strong command of the keyboard that belies her slender physique.

Two items by Grieg followed and she expressed her fascination with Grieg’s association with nature in his music, which was well demonstrated in the Three Lyrical Pieces – Brooklet, Butterfly and Little Bird. This led to four musical pictures – Morning Mood, The Death of Ase, Anitra’s Dance and In the Hall of the Mountain King. Each of these themes was sensitively but clearly expressed. The Death of Ase was particularly affecting, played with a quiet solemnity which contrasted strongly with the whirling joy of Anitra’s Dance.

Arnicane has a rapidly changing range of expressions as she plays, and seems to be almost communing with the piano, smiling, coaxing, looking stern or sad.

Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, a beautiful work including the popular Clair de lune was followed by Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations.

Written in 1931, this was Rachmaninoff’s last work for the keyboard.

He said he sometimes did not play the complete work because it was “so boring”. When there was a lot of coughing from the audience, he guessed they were bored too and only played as much as he thought they could tolerate.

I can vouch for the conduct of the audience at Kirkleatham – there was no coughing!

Called back for two encores, she played a Latvian folk song and then a special treat – The Serpent’s Kiss, when she improvised both percussion and wind instrument effects, hand drumming and whistling, to rapturous applause.

The next concert at Kirkleatham is on Thursday, May 8, at 7.30pm, a piano recital by Stefan Cassomenos.

Irene MacDonald