Concert review/ Resonances by Ronojit Bhuyan & Giacomo Tora


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Ronojit Bhuyan & Giacomo Tora/ Resonances

Genre: Western classical piano

Details: The Cube, NMACC, August 20

Rating: ****

Pianists Ronojit Bhuyan and Giacomo Tora (on left in picture) met while studying at London's Trinity Labon Conservatory of Music & Dance. After becoming friends, they decided to form a musical partnership. One thing led to another, and on Thursday, they performed several pieces individually before coming together on a fresh arrangement involving four hands.

The show was called Resonances and the venue was the Cube theatre of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai. The repertoire comprised a good mix of baroque music, Romantic Era pieces, a waltz and French impressionist compositions. And the audience was in for a surprise when Giacomo played a piano version of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's Hindi film song 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'. And for the four-hand finale، the young Italian pianist had composed a piano arrangement of A.R. Rahman's 'Tere Bina' from the film Guru.

The bulk of the music, of course, consisted of western classical music created before World War I. Both pianists did well to describe their choice and explain the pieces, occasionally using humour. Mumbai-bred Ronojit aka Ron began with two compositions from French impressionist composer Claude Debussy's '24 Pieces - Book II'. They set the mood.

Giacomo began with "Kal Ho Naa Ho', saying it wasn't in the programme but was meant to be a surprise. The opening movement of German maestro Johannes Brahms' lengthy 'Piano Sonata No 3' was played to technical perfection.

Ron returned to play two pieces from German legend Johannes Sebastian Bach's 'Partita No 1'. He continued with Austrian composer Franz Schubert's 'Impromptu G Flat Major' but the piece de resistance was Polish great Frederic Chopin's 'Grande Valse Brilliante', the first of his waltzes to appear in print under his own supervision.

From the three compositions that followed, it was obvious that Giacomo has been a big Debussy fan as he covered contrasting moods of storm-like intensity, calmness and joy. The second of these, the serene 'Claire de Lune', was something the audience was familiar with.

The finale, with both musicians coming together, was a tribute to Rahman, who serves as honorary president at Trinity Labon. Giacomo. Before it began, Giacomo joked, "I hope you don't throw tomatoes at me". Needless to say, both pianists got a huge ovation.

Ron, son of violinist Sunita Bhuyan, concluded the evening by saying that he hoped they could return for a concert where they could play two pianos simultaneously. That would worth the wait.

Ron with his teachers Aida Bisengaliev and Pervez Mody, and mother, violinist Sunita Bhuyan


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