Dreams and fantasies

EXCEPTIONAL: Now resident in Budapest, New Zealand pianist Tony Chen Lin will make a return visit to Gisborne for a solo piano concert this month. Picture supplied

“Rarely have I encountered a finer musician who has something truly exceptional to say in music,” said “piano royalty” Tamás Vásáry of pianist Tony Chen Lin.

Last here in February with Australian violinist Christina Lieberwirth-Morris as The Tasman Ensemble, Lin will on his visit this month perform solo at the Lawson Field Theatre. Lin’s debut solo album Digressions which was released last year reached No.1 on the Radio New Zealand Classical Chart.

“He has a strong musical personality that speaks to audiences and possesses the technique which is expected today, but also artistry which is not always expected,” enthused Vásáry.

The celebrated player and composer’s programme will be made up of works by Mozart, Janacek, Schumann and a new work by Gao Ping commissioned by Professor Jack Richards for this tour.

The programme consists almost entirely of Central European works that share a certain demanding, thought-provoking and brooding quality, writes Lin in his programme notes.

“The anomaly is the premiere of a new work by the Chinese composer Gao Ping, a rich musical tapestry that sets classic Chinese aesthetics against a modern backdrop.

“Although the theme of ‘dreams and fantasies’ runs throughout the programme, all the works (with the exception of Mozart) were, paradoxically, either inspired by real-life events or stand as journal entries.”

Ping’s pieces germinate from small and simple daily things, a bit like a musical diary, writes the composer.

“The everyday happenings, though ordinary and unimportant, nevertheless form the basic colours of our life. If willing to discover, there is no lack of beauty, unnoticed beauty, which perhaps can be called a ‘quotidian beauty’.”

Brought to Gisborne by Chamber Music New Zealand ‘music up close’ series in association with Musica Viva Gisborne, pianist Tony Chen Lin performs at the Lawson Field Theatre on Thursday, September 26 at 7.30pm. Entry $30 adults, $10 students.