“Already that you are there!”

A wing is a wing is a wing is a wing, a wing, a wing. One would think. But with this example it has a special meaning. Yes, it too has eighty-eight buttons, three pedals and a beautifully curved body. But the way he stands there, wrapped in gold before he is officially allowed to show what he is capable of, what he can get out of him, is not exactly a sight to behold on monday evening in the international kunstlerhaus villa concordia.

The star of the evening is called steinway B, and stephanie weib, the deputy director of the house of music, seems to have known him for a long time (since mid december, as it turned out), because she is on a first-name basis with him. "It's good that you're here", she addresses him and then introduces the second main performer this evening, munich pianist henri bonamy, who will bring five solo works by three current concordia fellows to sparkle on the grand piano with intense sound and technical sophistication.

Fiona freifrau loeffelholz von colberg, who heads the friends of the kunstlerhaus, is then allowed to unveil the steinway B together with director nora gomringer, but she also thanks all the donors and sponsors who made the precious acquisition of the "tool" possible thanks to "which it is possible for the music scholars to convey their compositions and skills, their musical message to the people of bamberg": the oberfranken foundation, the friedrich baur and sparkassen foundations, the lions club bamberg residence, tasten sponsorships, private individuals, concertgoers at the concordia piano days in november, all of whom have given money to the kunstlerhaus.

After all the speeches, after all the thanks, after the ceremonial unveiling finally music. First "fictitious" for (in the discant) prepared piano, a in its simplicity and sound alienation enchanting way by arash safaian, afterwards askell masson's "marchenstein", in which henri bonamy may impress with shimmering tone garlands in the right hand, again safaian with the "grammatik II" put to paper in bamberg 2011, finally, masson's "fantasiestuck", composed seven years earlier – all of them sparkling examples of what contemporary composition for piano is all about, and no less sparklingly brought to sound by bonamy.

This also applies to the "five miniatures" played by the composer himself by atli heimir sveinsson, who, at over seventy years of age, may well be called something like the grand seigneur of icelandic music. Yes, says the student of bernd alois zimmermann, the friend of karlheinz stockhausen, afterwards in conversation, there are besides wild outbreaks and dense clusters also "reminiscences of earlier times" among them and names robert schumann.

At the end of the first steinway B recital at concordia there will be "euforiak II by marton illes. There is really no lack of euphoria in the kunstlerhaus. And many a visitor will give the grand piano a silent "I'm glad you're here" on their way home!" .

RELATED POSTS