Jayson Gillham with the CPO – at last!
It wasn’t easy for Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham (pictured left) to decide what he wants to perform with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. But he did: he will perform the Mozart Piano Concerto no 21, K467, on 14 September 2023, with Bernhard Gueller on the podium, says SHIRLEY GUELLER.
“The piano repertoire is virtually endless and there is so much I would love to play, so I sometimes have trouble prioritising,” he says. Jayson was due to play the Beethoven Piano Concerto no 4 in the winter season in 2020 which was cancelled thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Sometimes the schedule dictates programming decisions which can actually be very helpful. I have just come from playing the Mozart No. 21 in Australia and it is one of my all-time favourites so I’m delighted to be playing it for my Cape Town debut.”
This concerto is sometimes called the “Elvira Madigan” because it became more widely known when the second movement, performed by Geza Anda, himself known to older Cape Town audiences from appearances here, was in the Swedish film of the same name.
As he says, it’s “a sparkling gem which radiates a vibrant positive life force throughout. It has the most gorgeous lyrical floating middle movement, which has seen it become one of the most famous and loved piano concertos of all time. As you can tell, it is one of my very favourite pieces, and I am absolutely delighted to be making my first visit to Cape Town to perform it with the Cape Town Philharmonic.“
Read the full article here: https://weekendspecial.co.za/jayson-gillham-with-the-cpo-at-last/