| PRESS REVIEW
|
press reviews
interviews |
| >> Capital Times, Madison - 2006.04.01 |
|
| Birthday Bash For Mozart |
|
Pianist Matthias Kirschnereit, guest artist this weekend with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, appears to be one whose intellectual capacity forms an intricate weave with his emotional exuberance for the music. The result of that confluence was a performance as exquisite as its source material was brilliant.
Kirschnereit, on hand for MSO's "Mozart Birthday Bash," performed the composer's Concerto No. 21 in C Major for a crowd of more than 1,800 in Overture Hall on Friday. The familiar strains of the concerto's "Andante" brought out the performer's best, coupled with an unusual emotional response between his solo stanzas.
The Andante's aria, familiar as the theme to the 1967 film "Elvira Madigan," captivated the audience with its delicate, ethereal nature, which also appeared to have enraptured Kirschnereit. The pianist's hands continued their motion above the keyboard of Overture Hall's Hamburg Steinway as maestro John DeMain masterly led the MSO through the movement's orchestral passages.
Kirschnereit was not playing, nor was he conducting. Instead, his hands appeared to have been embraced by the themes within his music, moving appreciatively in ways the pianist knew best.
At the closing note of the concerto's third movement, Kirschnereit threw both hands in the air, rocking back on the piano's bench as if the music were releasing him from its hypnotic grasp, a look of pure bliss crossing his face. The audience erupted in well-deserved applause and a mid-performance standing ovation.
The response was a fitting tribute, both for Kirschnereit's performance and in honor of Mozart's 250th birth year. The concerto anchored a well-conceived and varied two-hour performance of the composer's music. |
<< back |
|
|
|
