Musical genius, gifted pianist, child prodigy. The labels stick firmly to Kit Armstrong, and with great fanfare he was brought to BOZAR. In Brussels, he managed to live up to all those expectations, yet still left us wanting more.
"This is phenomenal" flashed through my mind as Kit Armstrong worked his way through Liszt's piano sonata. Well, "worked." The effortless way this piano genius danced through the composition was incredible. One of the most challenging piano compositions in the Western musical canon, yet Kit Armstrong made it sound like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
And there's the rub. You sit there slack-jawed, gobsmacked by the technical prowess of this prodigy. Your jaw drops even further when he moves to the organ, with not just his hands but his feet dancing across the instrument. I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs of superlatives about Armstrong's technical abilities. He is absolutely fascinating, but musically it's not terribly engaging.
Of course, a concert is always a showcase of your talents, but that technical brilliance must never overshadow emotional depth. Not that I expected grand passionate gestures or a loaded spectacle from Kit Armstrong, but this felt a bit too much like a demonstration. One that was technically flawless, and that's precisely what makes it difficult to criticize.
Look, Kit Armstrong is a masterful pianist. Someone who absolutely deserves his place in the world's greatest concert halls. But at BOZAR, he was like fireworks without the bang. Brilliant to watch, but you miss that moment when your heart races.
- WHAT: Franz Liszt on piano and organ – Sonata for piano in B minor (S. 178); Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale "O Savior of the World", (G. Meyerbeer | S. 259)
- WHO: Kit Armstrong (piano, organ)
- WHERE: Henry Le Boeuf Hall, BOZAR, Brussels
- WHEN: Thursday, October 4, 2018
