11/09/2026
The audience in St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, on Wednesday lunchtime was treated to a world-class recital from an 18-year-old classical pianist and composer from Birmingham in the latest Shrewsbury International Recital Series. Accompanied by his proud grandparents. Max Walsh has already won The Liszt Society International Piano Competition and the Junior Wales International Piano Festival 2025. He completed his studies at the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with Head of Keyboard, Jan Loefller. Max is making waves in the music world and has already performed in Europe. He begins this month at the Royal College of Music in London under a full scholarship, no mean feat in itself. He has also been selected by the Keyboard Trust Charity that supports young artists who they consider will become international concert pianists. What is more, the three Musical Directors have also picked Max for their top scholarship, the Dr Weir Legacy Award, which is awarded annually to a promising keyboard player to help cover academic and living costs for undergraduate musical training.
This was a first performance for Max in Shropshire but will certainly not be his last. The audience of 50 were awestruck by the skill and maturity of his playing, amazed by the emotional understanding of someone only 18 years old. The new Kawai GX5 piano that has been donated to St Mary's sang like an angel in the glorious acoustics of the medieval nave.
The recital was described by Max as a journey of ‘virtuality and transcendence’. He began with a ravishing account of the Bénédiction de dieu dans la solitude, S. 173/3 by Liszt. There was a feeling that Mariam Batsashvili, the Hungarian maestro who played earlier in the series, would have enjoyed this interpretation, as melodies appeared clearly through the overall orchestral sound.
Max introduced each part of the programme with the keen eye of a composer. He described his love and admiration for the 6 Bagatelles Op.126 by Beethoven, which he considered one of his greatest compositions. They were written in 1824, the same year as his 9th Symphony was completed. The performance by Max was a revelation, like coming across these works for the first time. The authority and unique portrayal displayed were quite astonishing.
Max introduced each part of the programme with the keen eye of a composer. He described his love and admiration for the 6 Bagatelles Op.126 by Beethoven, which he considered one of his greatest compositions. They were written in 1824, the same year as his 9th Symphony was completed. The performance by Max was a revelation, like coming across these works for the first time. The authority and unique portrayal displayed were quite astonishing.
Next up was the Jeux D'Eau, M.30 by Maurice Ravel and Max revelled in the melody and richness of the music. The recital ended with works by Olivier Messiaen, starting with his Prelude No. 1 La Colombe (The Dove) and finishing with “Le ba**er de l’Enfant-Jésus” from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. Clearly Max has a great affinity and admiration for Messiaen and his playing reflected this deep love and admiration for the composer. The works performed in the sacred beauty and superb acoustics of St Mary the Virgin were best described as divine.
The audience had been treated to a performance by a young man likely to become a national legend. To thank the those who attended and listened so attentively, Max played an encore of Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte. It was a heart-rending end to a recital of technical brilliance and staggering emotional intensity. We wish Max the very best in his time at the Royal College and to an illustrious future.
The generosity of those attending this concert provided a profit of £250 which went into the fund to help pay off the interest-free loan on the Kawai GX5 grand piano that has been donated to St Mary's Church. Gratitude also to the Keyboard Trust for identifying an artist of such promise and for their generosity in sponsoring this recital.
