[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts music review of The Ammara•Prosseda Piano Duo at The Athena Foundation for the Arts concert series.
Who would have thought that in the early days of April, inspired by William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the composers Claude Debussy, Luca Lombardi, and Felix Mendelssohn-Barthony would come to NoHo in the hands of masterful and the world-renowned piano duo of Alessandra Ammara and Roberto Prosseda.
Once again, we have the Athena Foundation for the Arts to thank for bringing internationally acclaimed musicians to NoHo.
The Ammara•Prosseda Piano Duo program started with Debussy’s iconic Clair de Lune and continued with Prelude No. 11 La Danse de Puck. Alessandra Ammara’s interpretation of this well-known piece convinced me that musical talent such as this can still surprise, taking something familiar and making it new again.
Roberto Prosseda was up next with a highly unusual performance. Mr. Prosseda played Luca Lombardi’s Mendelssohn im Jüdischen Museum Berlin in unison with a video, some of which was shot at the Jüdischen Museum Berlin. What made this performance even more special was the magical melding of music and pictures to bring this powerful and important work to the forefront. Mr. Prosseda and Mr. Mendelssohn were as one, literally and figuratively. Incorporating images of Mendelssohn composing the score and Mr. Prosseda playing the piece at Jüdischen Museum Berlin, juxtaposed with heartbreaking images of the holocaust and, of course, the live performance.
If the first half of this program was the warm-up act, then the second half was the main event. As beautiful as these two pianists played solo, together they were astonishing. Four hands on a single piano, you could have knocked down the audience with a feather. Each selection of Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was played with such brilliance and exquisite timing that if I had not heard it with my two ears, I would not have believed it. It was soul searing and warmed the heart. My mind couldn’t get over the speed in which Madam Ammara’s hands moved over the right side of middle C. Signore Prosseda’s command of the other side of the piano was utterly sublime.
Together, Ammara and Prosseda embody the meaning of “Piano Duo,” four hands, two minds, one heart.
I am always impressed by the quality of the performances, the talent of the musicians, and most of all the intimacy of the venue in which an audience in the San Fernando Valley can experience like other audiences around the world. The Athena Foundation for the Arts brings these internationally renowned musicians to our humble community year after year. Bravo.
About The Athena Foundation for the Arts
Our Mission: Create. Culture. Community. The Athena Foundation for the Arts sets the stage, providing an annual world-class concert series, bringing stellar musicians from around the world to share their outstanding programs with our community. Your tax-deductible donations make these programs possible. Ask about our corporate sponsorship program, connecting culture with commerce. Help the Athena Foundation for the Arts by donating today! It’s a Sound Investment.
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