Aleksander Kudajczyk is famous not only for his talent as a pianist, but also because of the way he got his fame.
He was working as a cleaner at Glasgow University in Scotland, when a CCTV camera caught him playing on the university's piano. The news spread, and the BBC broadcast Aleksander's story, making him an instant celebrity.
Ever since, he has been performing all over the world, including a recent success at the "PolArt" concert in Elder Hole, Adelaide, Australia.
Asep Hidayat is a principal cellist in the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra and a music teacher at the Indonesia Institute of Art in Yogyakarta. He started his music education in Yogyakarta, completed his studies at the Indonesia Institute of Art, Yogyakarta, under the guidance of Dutch cellist Rene Berman.
As a member of the Heinrich Schulz Ensemble in Japan, he was active in the musical world of Southeast Asia and Australia. He attended the ASEAN Youth Music workshops in Kuala Lumpur, Thailand and Jakarta. At the same year, he performed in Townsville, Australia, with the Australian Virtuous Ensemble.
Both performers met at the residence of Deni Panigoro on Jl. Jeng-gala, Central Jakarta. The event of the night was a piano and cello recital sponsored by Yayasan Music Sastra Indonesia.
The event started with an opening speech from Ananda Sukarlan, a renowned pianist himself, representing Yayasan Musik Sastra Indonesia. Then, Aleksander was called to the stage; the audience fell silent, anxious to hear the performance of the CCTV pianist from Poland.
Aleksander started with works from Frederic Chopin, a must-have for every classical pianist. When he started with Ballade in F minor, op. 52, the audience could clearly hear the strength of his performance. He played with a high precision, hitting every note without hesitation. As he warmed up, he started to show more emotion, especially when he got to the second part, Scherzo in B-flat major, op. 18.
This fast-paced composition was performed with a deep emotional touch. Although his body doesn't move much, Aleksander seemed to emphasize his emotion by adjusting the volume and tempo of his playing, creating an enchanting atmosphere.
Chopin's waltzes that followed showed Aleksander's strength in tempo control. He started with Waltz in E-flat major, op. 18, continuing with Waltz in A-flat major, op. 34 no. 1 and Waltz in A minor, op. 34 no. 2.
All played with great precision, especially the last composition, where he showed a deep emotional contact with his music, swaying the audience into the dreamy world of Chopin.
Perhaps it is his Polish background which connects with Chopin's passion for Polish culture.
Asep Hidayat, a home-grown cellist, performed works of Johann Sebastian Bach after the intermission. He played three parts of the Suite no. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: Prelude, Sarabande and Gigue. Asep had a different style to his performance. He was loser in precision, but concentrated more on the volume control and the feeling of the composition. This was shown most apparently in the third part, Gigue, which involved deep emotional feelings and a crescendo toward the end. Asep interpreted the piece very well.
After performing another piece from Chopin, Waltz in D-flat major, op. 64 no. 1 Minute, Aleksander and Asep prepared for the final composition, The Swan from Camille Saint-Sa*ns. The Swan is a part of Saint-Sa*ns's work The Carnival of the Animals, which premiered on Mar. 9, 1886. Saint-Sa*ns was afraid that the playful nature of the composition jeopardized his reputation as a serious composer, so he forbade a complete performance of the whole composition, except for The Swan. When this composition was performed posthumously, it became famous for its musical brilliance and vivid imagination.
The Swan was a perfect fit for the strengths of the performers that night. The composition features piano interludes with detailed melodies and a cello playing a long, fermata-style composition: one describing the rapid movement of water and the other describing the gracious movement of the swan over the water. When the performance started, the audience was stunned by the combination of Aleksander's precision and Asep's volume control.
It was a great performance, as the intricate melodies of the piano were played with perfection and the cello lead with grace. It was a short, but impressive performance, and the audience gave them a standing ovation as it ended.
The audience was given one encore from The Swan, which was responded to warmly with another standing ovation. Finally, bouquets of flowers were given to the performers, and Panigoro bade farewell to the guests. An enchanting night indeed.
