Cello and piano come together at Penryn for Song of Norway

Residents had the opportunity to attend a chamber music recital on Saturday at Penryn Chapel, offered by the Lowveld Chamber Music Association.

Cellist Gerrit Koorsen, a biochemistry lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, and pianist Eugene Joubert, head of piano studies at St Mary’s School, Waverley, collaborated to present a recital entitled Song of Norway.

Inspired by the expressive qualities of the cello, they selected a programme showcasing both the lyrical and virtuosic features of both players on their respective instruments.

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In the Variations chantantes sur un air ancient, Reynaldo Hahn took inspiration from a 17th century opera aria, transforming its theme into a set of variations imbued with the lyricism of the late 19th century.

Both Gabriel Fauré’s Élegie and the Andante from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano were played with an expressive quality well suited to the French and Russian Romantic idioms.  In Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, the players showed the intimate nature of their collaboration, moving through a wide range of emotions and characters before bringing the work to a virtuoso conclusion.

Edvard Grieg’s Sonata for Cello and Piano was the main work on the evening’s programme. Lasting for close to 30 minutes, it remains one of the most popular Romantic works in this genre.

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The musicians brought the Norwegian folk-like character of the work to life and clearly enjoyed the musical and technical challenges it presented. As an encore, they performed the enchanting baritone aria Pierrot’s Tanzlied from Erich Korngold’s opera Die tote Stadt.

Thanks were given to Walter Fourie of the Lowveld Chamber Music Association for being active and dedicated to bringing classical music to the city.

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