伯樂支持，Kit Armstrong十小時音樂馬拉松圓滿落幕

受到《Ruhr鋼琴音樂節》藝術總監Ohnesorg大力支持，Kit Armstrong上周末接連兩天的五場音樂會圓滿落幕。

做為年度音樂節開幕前的特例安排，媒體報導也給予好評，還透露接著在四月初的東京春季藝術節，Kit這套音樂時光旅程會在電視播映？拭目以待囉...

Kit Armstrong's Marathon Concert: Ten Hours of Classic Music

Kit Armstrong, the celebrated pianist, offered a daring and fascinating journey through five centuries of piano music at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Bochum. The audience was smitten by his performance at the Musikforum, where he played five concerts over two days and took his listeners on a musical tour through history.

The range of music covered in the ten-hour performance could hardly be wider. Armstrong's wild ride captivated the audience in the sometimes well-attended hall, from John Bull to Franz Liszt, Handel to Mozart, and Debussy to Gershwin.

The outgoing artistic director, Prof. Franz Xaver Ohnesorg, commented on the performance: "It's an unbelievably beautiful journey through time." Many in the hall took part in the whole series on both days, with the first shift starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday and ending late in the evening with modern pieces by György Ligeti and Arvo Pärt. "Each concert had its special quality and was a real eye and ear opener for many," added Ohnesorg.

Despite his youth, Armstrong's musical expertise and skills on the piano are amazing. At 31 years old, he briefly introduces almost every piece he plays on the grand piano in the evenings so the audience can take away a few things worth knowing while listening. His presentations are so entertaining that they don't turn into specialist seminars.

Armstrong quickly won the hearts of his loyal listeners, who stuck with him for ten hours. This was due to his likable, almost modest demeanor - and the power with which he knows how to play. He knows most pieces from his epoch-spanning world tour by heart, only occasionally consulting sheet music on his laptop.

The audience could hear a pin drop during the etude "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by György Ligeti and "For Alina" by Arvo Pärt on the last evening. On the other hand, the ease with which Armstrong drops a few pieces from George Gershwin's songbook, briefly reminiscent of the jazz era, has a lot of humor.

At the end of the marathon concert, the hall bowed to Kit Armstrong and his enormous talent with a standing ovation. Armstrong plans to continue his "Five Centuries of Piano Music" format soon on Japanese television.

Kit Armstrong at his workplace: At the Ruhr Piano Festival in the Anneliese Brost Music Forum, he inspires the audience with an epoch-spanning journey through time.

Photo: Dana Schmidt / Ruhr Piano Festiva