Spellbound

The early evening concert today was François-Michel Rignol's masterclass. It's not the best attended concert of the festival, but I've taken to going when I can because it's inspiring to see these young, talented pianists so committed to their art.

The first two students were good. Shortish pieces by Schumann, Fauré, Chopin, Castérède. Then a break to allow the bar to raise a bit of money. Afterwards, Gabriel Garcia played 24 Chopin preludes (op. 28). He was incredible. 24 tiny jewels were made into a sparkling whole. I have never seen the audience here so utterly captivated (hence my choice of blip). He was not at all showy, but he was completely absorbed in the music -- it clearly didn't matter to him whether there was an audience or not. If it hadn't been for the host of swallows twittering as they swooped around the eaves, you could have heard a pin drop throughout the 40-minute performance. No-one moved -- in a public square there are often people arriving, leaving, popping to the bar. But not this time. Even his teacher (standing at the back in this photo) was mesmerised. At the end he got a moment's silence and then a standing ovation. Easily one of the best performances I've ever seen at this festival.

 I've posted a couple of extras of him just so you know what he looks like! Sadly I can't provide you with a sample as he appears to have virtually no online presence. Here's Martha Argerich.

In other news: it's very hot! We went down to our garden after lunch, and even in the shade it was too hot to stay more than a couple of hours.