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WIDE RANGE The pieces were deep and resonating

Performing German Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1770-1827) “32 variations in C minor” was definitely the highlight of the evening. And the two-time Grammy nominee took the packed audience through his pieces with interesting anecdotes and musical facts and observations.

He enlightened music lovers about transcriptions – “where it was common for every performer in the early 20th century to make them.” It was only at the end of 1915 that transcriptions were removed from the musical face by music critics and schools, to come back in favour later.

His rendering of “32 variations in C minor” was grand for it captured various moods – from the sombre and sullen to silent persuasion and calm. Every variation was performed with a flourish by Banowetz’s swift and nimble fingers. The mood ignited was like a fast-forward movie scene to disaster that closed with dramatic, baritone notes. He joked: “Don’t panic – I know you all must be thinking you’ll be here all night listening to 32 variations.” But staccato, sweet sounds of music flowed into the next variation – varying from the playing to the dramatic and dead-serious – touching on all the moods.

Austrian Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) three movements of Sonata in A Minor, Opus told the great musical genius of the composer who wrote it by the age of 31.

“It touches on dark corners; it is unsettling and carries with it, the symbolism of death. It is frightening and suicidal,” said Banowetz of the pieces which were written when Schubert came to know of his fatal illness – syphilis.

While the first movement in Allegro Giusto moved from being long and short – as if “death was stalking”, the second in Andante was “dum da de dum – more placid, if not optimistic”. The last movement in Allegro Vivace said the players, was “inspired by German literature of that time which had an element of the supernatural. It was like a demonic dance – as if someone were shaking you.”

While Hungarian Franz Liszt’s(1811-1886) “Petrarch Sonetto 104” was resonating, calm and a bevy of notes, “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3” was interestingly as the artiste pointed out, was thought to be “Hungarian folk music – but instead was gypsy music mistaken for folk music”.

“It was interesting and typical of the composer’s other rhapsodies – slow in the first section. There was a deep bass to it, combined with lyrical variations of both hands.

French composer Claude Debussy’s (1862-1918) “Preludes” was interesting as the composer who’d never set foot in Spain composed a piece inspired by a postcard; it was resonating of the Spanish dance.

Ranging from morbid romanticism, symbolism and haunting music that steered towards the deep and resonating – the pieces that Joseph Banowetz performed were different from romantic and light pieces.

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