Michael McHale looks forward to his Romantic music series at Triskel in Cork
Michael McHale begins a series of concerts at Triskel in Cork. Picture: Danièle Dugré
It is late afternoon in Thomastown in Co Kilkenny and there is an expectant hush as the soloist appears on the compact stage of the vintage concert hall. Michael McHale beams a broad smile before settling himself at the Steinway piano and launches into the solemn opening of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata.
And away we go on a rollercoaster of Romantic piano music that holds the audience enthralled before finally drawing them to their feet at the close of an exhilarating rendition of ‘Ballade in B minor’, a bravura showstopper by Liszt. It is a performance delivered with flawless skill and charm that clearly demonstrates, why the Belfast native is in demand in prime classical music venues on both sides of the Atlantic.
