ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - On Sunday 9 October, the audience in the Dotsure Arts Theatre was privileged to hear a truly magnificent recital by the acclaimed pianist Ben Schoeman.
After giving us a brief explanation of what he was going to play and the reasons behind his decision, we were whisked away into the opening prelude of JS Bach's English suite no 2 BWV 807.
The audience had been asked not to applaud between movements of this work and you could have heard a pin drop as Schoeman paused before starting the next movement. After a peaceful saraband and two energetic bourrées, a sprightly gigue brought the suite to a close. This was a neat and clear interpretation from a pianist who sits very still and lets the music flow.
Next up was Ondine, variously described as a siren, Rhine maiden or mermaid, as depicted in the second book of Preludes by Debussy. Without losing any clarity of tune, Schoeman achieved the liquid sound of the impressionist composers. The second prelude, Feux d’artifice, meaning fireworks, sounded more like a swarm of bees on the rampage.
Liszt wrote three books of pieces under the overall title of Years of pilgrimage, and we were treated to Year 1, Switzerland depicting a confused, homesick wanderer. This work has a variety of different moods and short sections before finally settling on a longer melody. There is a frenetic middle section characterising the confused mind of the wanderer, that dissolves into a peaceful melody and a final triumphal conclusion. This example of pianistic virtuosity earned a well-deserved round of applause for the nimble-fingered pianist.
The second half of the recital consisted of César Franck's Prélude, Choral and Fugue and Schumann's Carnival. The Franck piece is a work of monumental proportions ending with a fugue that sneaked in quietly and worked its way to a grand finale, and Schoeman worked hard to get every ounce of sound out of the piano.
The concert ended with Schumann's Carnival, a work of 21 pieces representing revellers at a carnival or festival. In it Schuman described himself, his friends and some theatrical comedy characters and the work finishes in grand style with the march of Davidsbndler contre les Philistins (David versus the Philistines). After a spellbound pause the audience leapt to their feet and gave Ben Schoeman a resounding and lengthy round of applause. He responded by playing Liszt's ever popular Liebesträume.
This was a magical performance by a consummate pianist and I hope Ben Schoeman will pay us another visit in the not-too-distant future. I was disappointed not to see our society's music competition finalists in the audience. They surely would have benefitted from the experience.- Sue Rijsdijk
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