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Congleton Chronicle

We’ve written about this twice but never actually reviewed it; who cares about release dates anyway? “Visions both utopian and evasive … ventures towards and away from … forays and escapades — these are what broadly characterise the keyboard music featured on this recording,” says Beville in the sleeve notes, but it’s perhaps more escapism than escapades as, it’s a mostly relaxing collection of tunes (as one never says for classical pieces, even though they are).

The album opens with Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in E Major”, “inescapably wedded to his religious faith” as the sleeve says, so it’s reverential and evokes feelings of sitting in a church reflecting on the meaning of life.

Prokofiev’s “Visions Fugitives, Op. 22” follows and it’s more of the world but equally tranquil. It’s a set of 20 short pieces of changing moods, from the relaxed “Lentamente” to the more sprightly “Allegretto tranquillo”, which is still tranquil in the way a mountain stream is. (If only the track names gave clues).

They’re mostly short — down to 23 seconds for one — so this selection whizzes by. Mr Beethoven ends all this with his “Piano Sonata in E flat major, Op. 7”, a mighty 8:49 long and more intricate.

Beville’s playing is excellent, fast yet delicate and agile, capturing both the whimsy of the shorter pieces and the reverence of others.

We wrote about this before after we tested it on AI. We tried again, this time on the Google thing. It was more accurate but added some extra works that must be hidden tracks as the sleeve notes and CD contains no reference to any Scarlatti, Chopin or Liszt.

A nice album for anyone who likes intricate tranquillity.

Out on Divine Art, DDA 25230.