On the southwestern border of Görlitz-Zgorzelec lies a special historical place, which was brought to attention again since a few years: the previous POW-camp Stalag VIII A. During his captivity there, French composer Olivier Messiaen has composed his musical masterpiece “Quartet for the End of Time”. Along with three cellmates, he premiered this piece on 15th January 1941 in the theatre barrack of the camp. Thus is the connection to the Messiaen-Festival, which is also supported by C. Bechstein. In the final lecture-concert of the festival, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, himself a Messiaen student, interpreted works by Bach, Liszt, Messiaen and Cage on a C. Bechstein concert grand D 282.
The next opportunity for the renowned artist to play on a C. Bechstein concert grand D 282 was in Brucknerhaus Linz. This time he had a Bechstein, a Bösendorfer and a Steinway at his disposal – and he chose all three instruments for a single concert to emphasize the tonal variety of the works as well as of the instruments. He opted for the Bechstein for the complete first half of the concert. As Aimard explained: “The clarity and the articulation of the Bechstein will be perfectly appropriate for the speaking quality of ‘Musica Ricercata’ of Ligeti.”
Fotos: © Oliver Erenyi / Brucknerhaus Linz
