World-class pianist amazes locals
Konstantin Soukhovetski gave a passionate performance of well-known compositions that left the audience speechless.
WHITE RIVER – The lure of a world-class pianist cannot be underestimated, as was proved by the concert held at Uplands College on Tuesday evening.
Mr Konstantin Soukhovetski, a Russian pianist living in the USA, performed a programme of famous compositions for one night only. It included Philip Glass’ The Hours, the musical score of a film with the same name, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, opus 27, and Liszt’s La Vellee D’Obermann. Each composition was prefaced with a snippetof background on the composer, what inspired the piece or its history.
About 250 to 300 people attended the concert and everyone was full of praise for Soukhovetski. His skill was evidenced in the effortless way his fingers slid over the keys and the emotion that was conveyed through the music. As his final offering, the audience was privileged to hear the South African premiere of his adaptation of Richard Strauss’ Capriccio – the Countess’ Monologue. This is the final scene of an opera which poses the question, “what is more important – words or music?”
The audience were captivated and the hall fell silent every time Soukhovetski started to play. At the end of the concert the applause continued for a few minutes with calls for an encore, before the pianist returned to honour the request. The nocturne that followed sent everyone home with a smile.
Ms Sophia de Jongh, the organiser, says she tries to organise one to three concerts of this calibre a year. This visit was Konstantine’s second in four years and De Jongh said he was looking forward to spending some time in the Kruger National Park.
Many of the audience members spoke De Jongh and assured her that if she arranged another concert, they would attend.
