Pianist Daniel Larsen believes music can express emotions that are often difficult to put into words.

His connection with the instrument began in childhood with a piano and his grandmother, who introduced him to playing.

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“Ever since I could reach the piano, I was playing away. My first teacher was my grandmother, and I have had it as a part of my life ever since,” he said.

Today, Larsen’s relationship with music extends beyond performing. His work as a piano tuner has kept him close to the instrument that first captured his imagination, giving him another reason to continue pursuing his passion.

He views the expression of music as deeply personal. “Romance in music is much like in life. When one interprets music, it is an individual expression of one’s own experiences,” he said.

For Larsen, the piano offers a wide range of tones and characters through which musicians can express these emotions, allowing listeners to find their own meaning in a melody.
This understanding shaped his approach to Romance in Music, a concert at Theatre on the Square in Sandton on October 22.

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The programme featured much-loved light classics, including Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in D major. Larsen said the piece helped establish a calm atmosphere for the programme.

Rachmaninoff, whose music has long resonated with him, remains one of his favourite composers. “The audience ought to hear the absolute free flow of tempo and rhythm,” he said.

The concert also presented an unexpected challenge when the originally scheduled performer became seriously ill. With little time to find a replacement, Larsen contacted the University of Pretoria, and violinist Charmilé Strauss joined him for the performance.

Despite the limited preparation time, the musical partnership came together naturally. “We gelled together and the music just clicked,” he said.

Larsen believes lunchtime concerts should offer audiences a relaxed but rewarding experience, with enough variety to make the programme engaging without overwhelming listeners. Ultimately, however, his hopes for the music extend beyond the performance itself. He wants people to reconnect with feelings and memories they may have carried for years, using the music as a way to reflect on their own lives.

“I hope that it revives emotions lost through time and that people can relate the music to their own lives,” he said.

Although he acknowledges that the future is uncertain, Larsen remains hopeful about what music can inspire in those who experience it.

“The future is very unknown and one can only hope that our performance ignites its own future.”

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