Paul Taylor @ St Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle - May 12

This Friday lunchtime performance, one in a regular recital programme at St Nicholas Cathedral, featured Paul Taylor in a set of forty minutes or so playing solo piano improvisations. The recital programme presents artists from far and wide (an organist, a classical guitarist, a soprano voice perhaps), today a musician based in the region expressed his delight at being offered a platform within such imposing surroundings.    
Paul Taylor specialises in solo piano improvisations. Elegant, impressionistic, cascading lines, a confluence of ideas, Taylor seemingly abandoning a line of thought in favour of another before a return to an earlier statement. The audience listened, some with closed eyes, contemplating who knows what? Taylor is a quietly spoken man, his introductory remarks audible to those seated in the pews nearest to the piano situated in the nave. Other audience members sitting several rows behind struggled to hear, but no matter, Taylor’s music spoke for him. At the conclusion of his set Taylor stood up, acknowledged the audience, and walked off with a backward glance at the piano.

A concert performance of quiet, reflective piano playing.

Russell