The poet and the piano

Over the centuries, the relationship between poetry and music has been a passionate and intimate affair. In an upcoming recital, the pianist, Benjamin Fourie, presents a number of works inspired by poetic texts. Ravel’s atmospheric suite Gaspard de la Nuit, inspired by poems of Aloysius Bertrand, opens the programme.

Also featured is Peter Klatzow’s Suite for Piano: From the Poets, inspired by the poetry of DJ Opperman, Phil du Plessis, RM Bruce and AG Visser. Besides being a pianist of note, Fourie is also a poet, and some of his verses have been set by his friend, the composer Etienne van Rensburg. As part of this programme, Fourie will play Van Rensburg’s deeply poetic Ballad W6/88. A work by the Wits composer-in-residence, Professor Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, Three Dimensions for Piano, completes the recital.

Benjamin Fourie’s concert activities over the past two decades and more include numerous recitals in South Africa, Namibia, Germany, Réunion, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Serbia. He is not only a well-known soloist, but has in addition performed in ensembles with some of South Africa’s foremost instrumentalists and singers, as well as visiting international artists, and has released three CD recordings of piano music by South African composers.

Recitals in recent years include performances of the complete Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus by Olivier Messiaen and other important, lesser-known music by South African composers, as well as European composers such as Frank Martin and Henri Dutilleux, apart from works from the standard repertoire.

In 2010 he was invited to give a lecture-recital and present master classes at the Second World Piano Conference of EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) held in Nov Sad, Serbia. His biography has been published in leading biographical reference works of the International Biographical Center in Cambridge, England, as well as the American Biographical Institute.

Free parking is available; enter on Yale Road, Braamfontein.

To book, visit www.ticket.co.za.

Enquiries: 011 717 1376 / [email protected]