Ashley Fripp

Ashley Fripp, self-contained and confident, filled the auditorium with his rendition of Beethoven’s ‘Sonata No. 31’. It was an assured performance and I’d have loved more, but with a young man’s enthusiasm and energy he took us instead on a journey with Liszt’s ‘Three Petrarch Sonnets’ and the ‘Dante Sonata’. A long, romantic and impassioned journey, up many highs and down many lows, impressive in ebb and flow, it was all very enjoyable. Fripp appears to converse with the piano, relishing his Lisztian flourishes and perhaps even singing along. I appreciated all the more the ironic restraint of his elegant Scarlatti encore.

Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 23 May 2014

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