A couple of weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of performing a special duet concert with my talented partner - Aylish Jorgensen - for our very first candlelight concert: Vivid Resonance.
On the second-darkest evening in the country, we performed a variety of works from world-acclaimed composers such as John Williams, Rachmaninov and Hanz Zimmer. We also featured some beautiful arrangements by New York-based piano/cello duet - Brooklyn Duo.
It was a very surreal experience being able to perform in an event lit solely by candles (flameless ones inside and underneath the piano, of course) and 2 tall lampposts.
Personally, the highlight piece of the event was the "Preghiera" - an arrangement of Rachmaninoff's famous second Piano Concerto (2nd movement) by Fritz Kreisler - who instrumented it for piano and violin in 1940. This performance was the Kreisler arrangement reinstrumented by us for cello and piano.
The concert would have been incomplete if we didn't conclude without performing on the instrumental elephant in the room... No, it was not the Yamaha concert grand, but the beautiful St Matthew's Létourneau pipe organ.
The final piece Chevaliers de Sangreal (Hanz Zimmer, from "The DaVinci Code") was arranged by Aylish herself, specially for the candlelit concert and the Létourneau organ. Drawing inspiration from the British organist Anna Lapwood's performance of this famous work at The Royal Albert Hall, it also featured her sister, Katja Jorgensen (on percussion) as well as and an old BOSS RC-300 Loop Station.
Both Aylish and I were beyond impressed with the turnout for the event, and we are endlessly grateful to everyone who came and enjoyed the evening with us, especially the individuals who helped us set up and manage the event.
We sincerely hope to return for a "reprise" concert next year, so stay tuned, and - if you haven't already - make sure to follow our Vivid Resonance Facebook page for future updates!
