(Marianthe Panas)
(Panas displayed a considerable
maturity of understanding and one sensed that she meant every word. Review by
Dr Martin Goldstein)
The South African Society of Music Teachers (SASMT)
concert, Rising Stars, which took
place on December 3, 2019, in association with Friends of Music, showcased the
incredible talent of the up-and-coming musical stars in our province.
The Prelude performance consisted of a piano and
cello duo with siblings Sverre and Trygve Nissen. They certainly set the tone
for an inspiring concert performing O
Come, O come Emmanuel, a fifteenth-century French Tune arranged by the
Piano Guys. The cello produced a lovely sonorous warm tone. The piano was not
overbearing and had a gentle touch, producing a good ensemble with the cello.
Savannah Scoular, on the recorder, accompanied
by Heidi Paul, performed Canzonna detta
La Bernardinia by Girolamo Frescobaldi; Burlesca
alla Rumba by Gordon Jacob and Hornpipe
by Enfield. In the Frescobaldi, she displayed a keen sense of the Baroque
idiom, producing a pure and graceful sound. In the Jacob, she displayed her
ability to adapt to the stark change in the idiom. In the Enfield, she
displayed agility which was delicate but wonderful. She produced a sharp, pure
sound and played with a nice lilt which was unforced.
Niwedita Bhatta, on the piano, played “Allegro”
from Sonate Op. 6 by Anton Eberl; Remote Xianggelila by Ma Jinfeng and
Zhang Nan and “Fiesta” from Miniatures by
Joaquin Turina. In the Eberl, her playing had a mature resonance and a nice
reverb. In Remote Xianggelila, she
was more at home with this idiom, displaying a sympathetic touch. Her balance
between melody and accompaniment was excellent. The “Fiesta” was
well-controlled with good strength. Her general demeanour was completely
unassuming.
Bradley Bester (voice) accompanied by Bobby
Mills performed Nel cor non piu mi sento by
Giovanni Paisiello; “Bring Him Home” from Les
Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg and “On the Street Where You Live”
from My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner
and Frederick Loewe. In the Paisiello, his love for the music came through. In
“Bring him Home”, he conveyed a sense of
longing and there was a good impulse. In “On the Street Where You Live”,
there was a pleasing palette of sounds.
Tasmin Hastings, on the piano, performed
“Prelude and Fugue in D minor” from The
Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2, by J S Bach; “Finale” from Sonata in E Op. 14 no. 1 by Beethoven
and Doctor Gradus ad Parnassus by
Debussy. In the Bach, the was good strength and agility. Her playing was
unflustered and mature. In the fugue, she displayed clarity of touch and good,
even control. In the Beethoven, she conveyed the harmonic surprises
convincingly. In the Debussy, her playing was characterized by a luxuriant
sense of having all the time in the world. Overall, her playing was endowed
with strength and maturity beyond her years.
Chanel Bates (voice) accompanied by Ros Conrad
performed “Pie Jesu” from Requiem by
Fauré; “Vedrai, carino” from Don Giovanni
by Mozart and “The Ships of Arcady” from Over the Rim of the Moon by Head. In the Fauré, she invested the
words with great feeling. There was lovely huskiness in the soft passages.
Overall, her performance was characterized by a pleasing innocence. In the
Mozart, the emphatic nature of her singing was healthy. In the Head, she
displayed an autonomy over the underlying meter. Overall, she sang with a
sweet, clear beauty.
Alida Esterhuizen, on the piano, performed Danza
de la moza donosa, Op. 2 no. 2 by Alberto Ginestera and Gnomenreigen Etude, S.
145 by Franz Liszt. In the Alberto, she displayed skilled control and a good
use of arm-weight. In the Liszt, she coped well with the challenging
hand-crossing and the difficult nature of this work as a whole.
Marianthe Panas (voice) accompanied by Nick Wium
performed Caruso by Lucio Dalla;
“Habanera” from Carmen by George
Bizet and “Pulled” from The Addams Family. In the Dalla, one could sense her
genuineness. She displayed a considerable maturity of understanding and one
sensed that she meant every word. In the Bizet, she sang with great pizzazz,
attiring herself suitably for the performance. In “Pulled”, one sensed her
ability to act convincingly. Overall, the earnestness of her performance was
eye-opening and one senses that she is going to make waves in the world of
music. – Dr Martin Goldstein
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