'BOX Of DELIGHTS' - Christmas Gala Recital, South Street Baptist Church, Exeter

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Stephen Beville provided a spectacular piano recital....Over two hours the audience enjoyed Mozart's Sonata in A major, with its distinctive closing rondo in the style of Turkish zanissary bands, eight intricate nocturnes by Francis Poulenc, Beethoven's stand-alone piano movement "Andante Favouri" and three waltzes and a polonaise by Chopin.

The opening Mozart was controlled and precise, with sudden injections of power creating a world of contrasting moods. The minuet introduced complex trills and the spirit of the vivaceous 28 year old Mozart shone through in Stephen's playing. The final Turkish rondo was feverish, exhilarating, and great fun - like a very well coordinated fireworks display.
 

With Poulenc's nocturnes Stephen demonstrated a variety of moods and styles from restful and languorous to strident and filled with vigour. Some portrayed specific images - lightly skipping girls at a ball, solomnly tolling bells, an eerie phantom and delicately fluttering moths.Stephen kept the energy and enthusiasm of Poulenc's inventiveness and imagination alive with each successive piece, finally wrapping up the story with the reflective and clarifying coda. An engaging musical journey.

Stephen recreated the musical atmosphere after the break with Beethoven's Andante. Each phrase seemed to build into a dance, full of energy and excitement. This lovely piece was the perfect precursor to Stephen's virtuoso finale - the music of Frédéric Chopin.

The first two of his waltzes were in turn intricate and sparkling, then smooth and melodious. The last was amazingly virtuosic with endless showers of elaborate trills. Stephen performed it perfectly, and was clearly in his element. The polonaise opened in grand style and seemed to involve an endless succession of complex and inventive musical ideas. Stephen conveyed the perfect combination of frenzy and control thoughout. "Box of Delights" was a perfect description!
 

Stephen Beville creates a dazzling impression every time he plays. His performances are full of thrilling showmanship, delivered with impressive skill....Another rousing recital of piano wonders.

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Classical Journey, December 2019.

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PILGRIMAGE OPUS 111, Southernhay Church, Exeter 

On a balmy spring evening Stephen Beville held an audience at Southernhay Church spellbound for two hours with a simple and brilliant demonstration of pianistic skill. ….Without a word he embarked on Franz Liszt's première 'Année de Pèlerinage' - Suisse (first Year of Pilgrimage - Switzerland). Between them Stephen and Franz Liszt took the listeners on a quite extraordinary pilgrimage through the Swiss countryside….The most exciting of all was 'Orage' (Storm), which was a mighty tempest indeed. The subsequent 'Eclogue' was as peaceful and pastoral as the storm was wild. Even gentler was 'Le Mal du Pays' (Homesickness), evoking Liszt's yearning for his homeland. Finally ' Les cloches de Genève' (The Bells of Geneva) introduced the theme of tolling bells which would feature in the second half of the concert.

While Stephen retired to the vestry once more, the audience members marveled at the spectacular nature of the recital they had just heard and wondered where Stephen would be taking them next. Stephen's technical and emotional control of each delicate melodic phrase in 'Fur Alina' perfectly represented Pärt's longing to see his friend Alina who was travelling abroad. As Stephen explained in his notes, this was the 'alternative side' of Liszt's 'Mal du Pays'.

The 'main course' of Friday's concert was Stephen's reprise of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 32, Opus 111, which can heard on Stephen's album CD 'In Karlsruhe'. This powerful performance showed off Stephen's versatility and skill to the full. The opening 'Maestoso' was majestic and arresting, full of exciting and thrilling themes. The 'Arietta' is initially gentle and seductive. Stephen's incredible ability to draw out different moods from the piano held the listeners transfixed, waiting to hear where the music would take them next. Almost imperceptibly, Stephen brought more and more life and passion to the original theme, which developed into a lively escapade with playful themes almost like twentieth century jazz. Stephen's performance of the Arietta was twenty minutes of sensational music, calming and invigorating in equal measure. From its opening tranquility to its equally gentle ending Stephen led the audience on one more exciting journey - a journey of pleasure and discovery.

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Classical Journey, 07/06/2019

NEW YEAR PIANO RECITAL, Westgate Christian Fellowship - Exeter.

'On Monday 22 January this year Stephen Beville returned to the stage with another fabulous piano recital. This time he concentrated on music inspired by childhood memories....
Stephen opened with Edvard Grieg's "Arietta" & "Berceuse", and Wolfgang Mozart's "Ah, vous dirai-je Maman" - which is more familiar as the theme to "Twinkle, twinkle, little star". Mozart, of course, takes this simple piece in numerous exciting new directions as the the variations become ever more complex and inspired. Stephen performed each variation spectacularly.
Then, in a change to the advertised programme, he played the whole of Robert Schumann's "Kinderszenen" (Scenes from Childhood) - a reference to Schumann's own childhood. Stephen's playful interpretation reflected Schumann's desire to delight and entertain.... The young Robert Schumann, and his siblings, could be imagined rushing from toy to toy, playing games and enjoying stories. Light-hearted, but also very impressive.'

Beethoven's Sonata in E minor, Op 90:
 

'Stephen followed the instructions to the letter, and reproduced Beethoven's early romantic masterpiece with a wealth of expression and emotion. Beethoven endlessly reasserted his brilliance as a composer, topping each passage with another of equal ingenuity. And Stephen was quite equal to the task of keeping pace with Beethoven's flights of genius.'
 

Sofia Gubaidulina, Musical Toys (1969):
 

'Stephen played these demanding and virtuosic pieces with absolute precision and an ebullient sense of fun and mischief, just as Gubaidulina intended. Following Schumann's lead, Gubaidulina conjures up many different and contrasting memories from childhood, with strong overtones of her native Russia. Stephen was able to bring every one of her musical vignettes to life with great imagination, as well as technical skill.
The concert ended gently with two more classical compositions, this time by Frédéric Chopin. His "Berceuse" (Opus 57) was an obvious choice, followed by an equally delightful "Impromptu" in F sharp (Opus 36). A spectacular finish to a spectacular concert.
Many thanks to Stephen Beville for all his work and for sharing his wonderful talent with Exeter audiences.'

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Classical Journey, 01/02/2018