Most of her piano playing being achieved by her fingers on the strings inside the instrument, a programme by Mary Dullea presents as much a challenge for the artist as it does for the audience. It does prove, of course, that almost as much can be created with your head inside the piano as with your seat firmly where it conventionally would be.

The piano as we have know it is almost no more.

The height of versatility came in The Towers of Silence, by Rolf Hind, a piece that required extensive use of the third pedal. All parts of the piano were used, the bottom, the pedals and their casing with, of course, various in-laid elements on the strings themselves.

Such is the striking image of Dullea attacking various parts of the construction that the visual element, on the large screen behind, became for me a hindrance, almost an annoyance: Dullea is her own visual. Out of focus zooming ins and outs on unrecognisable objects don't do much for me.

What would be better would be for the original printed programme to be the actual programme on the night.

Reg Burnard

Click here for more reviews and pictures from Corsham Festival

9:13am Tuesday 1st July 2008

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