Malaysia's Lee mesmerizes Indonesian audiences<\/p>\n
By Emilie Sueur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Royal Netherlands Embassy welcomed the
\nMalaysian pianist Dennis Lee Wednesday evening. Organized by the
\nBritish Council and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of
\nMusic, the recital was the first salvo of three days of
\nperformances in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Lee was played Thursday at the French Cultural Center in
\nBandung and yesterday at the Heritage Executive Club in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
The recital had some pedagogical aspects to it as Lee always
\nstopped to describe the pieces he would play.<\/p>\n
The information was really welcome however as his choices were
\nquite unusual.<\/p>\n
He did not opt for simplicity. His program included unusual
\nsonatas from Ludwig van Beethoven and Etudes from the foremost
\nPolish composer of the early 20th century, Karol Szymanowski.<\/p>\n
He started the recital with the astonishing sonata in G Major,
\nopus 31\/1 by Beethoven. Those who are used to the strength of
\nBeethoven's music, would be surprised by this light piece, dyed
\nwith humorous connotations.<\/p>\n
The 50-year-old pianist found the perfect childlike spirit
\nrequired to play this cheerful sonata.<\/p>\n
From then on the recital was dominated by an atmosphere of
\nevocation.<\/p>\n
After the two Szymanowski's Etudes laced with passionate
\nromanticism, Lee interpreted in a remarkable way two pieces by
\nthe French composer Claude Debussy.<\/p>\n
The composer had been inspired to write Pagodes (Pagodas),
\nfrom a series titled Estampes, after meeting Asian composers at
\nan international exhibition held in Paris at the beginning of
\nthis century.<\/p>\n
Lee, who lives in London despite his Malaysian origins,
\nclearly felt comfortable in this mix of western and oriental
\ninfluences.<\/p>\n
The second Debussy piece, Reflets dans l'eau (Reflections in
\nthe water), could be the perfect illustration of Paul Dukas
\nsentence about the French composer, "One must seek the poetry in
\nhis work".<\/p>\n
Reflets dans l'eau is completely impregnated with the
\nimpressionist influence of the period. Lee offered the audience,
\nthanks to his exquisite interpretation and phrasing, a sumptuous
\nwalk through Claude Monet's Giverny garden.<\/p>\n
But this nice wandering was interrupted in the most impolite
\nway when a mobile phone rang.<\/p>\n
But Lee, thanks to remarkable concentration, managed to smooth
\nthe surface of the disrupted water so that the reflections would
\nnot become completely blurred.<\/p>\n
Lee then turned away from his impressionist meanderings and
\napproached one of the greatest ever pianists, Franz Liszt. One
\nlook at Lee's resume was enough to presume of his skills.<\/p>\n
We had here, in musical terms, the fruits of his 44 years of
\npracticing, his career awards including first prize in the Royal
\nOverseas League Festival in London.<\/p>\n
The sonetto 104 del Petrarca confirmed the great sensitivity
\nof Lee's playing. The pedaling, the accentuation and the
\nbreathing of the music enlightened this musical translation of
\nthe Petrarch's poem addressed to Laura, an inaccessible love.<\/p>\n
To round the program off Lee flung himself into the Polonaise
\nno 2 in E major. This piece, as with most of Liszt's
\ncompositions, requires a high level of technical competence.<\/p>\n
Not only did he overcome all the difficulties, he even gave to
\nthe music the brilliance of the Slav spirit it required. The
\naudience didn't miss it and returned all the energy given by the
\npianist in warm applause.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/malaysias-lee-mesmerizes-indonesian-audiences-1447893297",
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