(Christopher Duigan)
Duigan
has tailored his presentation style and has become something of a master of
performing in the up-close, almost one on one, environment of an on-line, live
streaming performance. (Review by Keith Millar)
As the Covid pandemic continues to create havoc in the performing arts industry many regular annual events have had to be cancelled. Amongst them is the popular Hilton Arts Festival which has been held for the past 27 years at Hilton College in the KZN Midlands.
As a replacement the organisers presented an online version of the festival last weekend, which they called a Virtual Celebration Of The Arts.
Providing the classical music content for the celebration was the accomplished KZN concert pianist and entertainer Christopher Duigan with his pre-recorded programme My Favourite Things.
Pietermaritzburg based Duigan, who is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s leading concert pianists and is also a Steinway Artist. He has been very busy during the lockdown period presenting bi-weekly on-line concerts via his organisation Music Revival.
Duigan has tailored his presentation style and has become something of a master of performing in the up-close, almost one on one, environment of an on-line, live streaming performance. It is not difficult to imagine that you are sitting with him in his elegant home studio amongst the orchids and art pieces listening to him play.
He is using very good microphones, and four cameras for his productions and, as a result, they are of excellent technical quality. The best I have heard in an on-line concert.
My Favourite Things is a rather eclectic selection of piano music. From classical to ragtime, to tangos, and contemporary film music. In between the items Duigan chats about the music and why they are his favourites.
He also talks about his fascination with the piano and the joy he derives from practising and performing on the instrument. Sentiments which are reflected in the excellence of his performance.
He starts the concert with four classical pieces. Georg Fredric Handel’s Chaconne in G Major, Ludwig van Beethoven’s not often played Sonata No 11 Op 22 in B Flat, Frans Liszt’s exquisite Liebestraum (Dreams of Love) and Frédéric Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude.
Scott Joplin was an African American Ragtime composer whose work was mostly forgotten until it was re-discovered and used in a 1970 movie The Sting. Since then it has gained great popularity. The piece played by Duigan is entitled Maple Leaf Rag.
Next were two pieces from South America. Ernesto Nazareth’s Gold Over Blue and Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion, followed by Dominico Scarlatti’s Sonata in F Minor and Rachmaninoff’s Etude Tableau.
The programme continued with two items from the world of film music and then finished with Duigan’s own composition, the atmospheric Midnight Chorale and Cristal, a short tango by the Brazilian Composer César Mariano.
My Favourite Things is an interesting and most enjoyable solo piano concert performed with great skill, energy, and aplomb by the inimitable Christopher Duigan. Well worth watching. Catch it on hiltonfestival.co.za or on musicrevival.co.za – Keith Millar
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