Once a year, the Carl Bechstein Foundation invites its scholarship holders to perform in a joint concert. This time, the young pianists gave a sold-out recital in the beautiful Robert Schumann Hall at the Coselpalais in Dresden, delighting the audience across the board.
“I’ve been to many concerts here,” said one audience member during the intermission, “but never with such highly talented young musicians. They’re all only 16!” She was right! Andrian Boelke from Berlin opened the program with Bach’s Partita No. 1 BWV 825, playing it with transparent voice leading and imaginative embellishments, before embarking on a highly virtuosic death ride with Liszt’s “Mazeppa.”
Pauline Heinrich from Calw in the northern Black Forest presented a program that was almost a tribute to the Robert Schumann Hall: the opening movement of Schumann’s Sonata Op. 11 and the third nocturne from Opus 23 framed Liszt’s “Un Sospiro.” The wide variety of timbres of the C. Bechstein C 234 grand piano came to the fore beautifully in these works. The wide variety of timbres of the C. Bechstein C 234 grand piano came to the fore beautifully in these works. Dorothea Hanebuth from Nuremberg, on the other hand, had chosen a more classical program and demonstrated astonishing musical maturity in her interpretations of Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 and Mendelssohn’s “Variations Sérieuses.”
After the concert, Andrian, Valeria, Pauline, and Dorothea enjoyed dinner together and had the opportunity to chat and get to know each other better. In the relaxed atmosphere, the nearly professional pianists seemed like normal teenagers again.
Congratulations to all our scholarship holders, who have grown significantly musically over the past year. We are already looking forward to your concert next year!
