A hush falls over Plumeria Grand Ballroom. The chandeliers are dimmed, and the audience seems to be holding its breath. There is a pregnant pause, the last creaks of the pianist settling onto his bench–and then it begins.
On July 24th, David Greilsammer held an exclusive concert of classical masterpieces at the Padma Resort Legian. Enigmatic and brilliant, it was an endeavour of tempo, pacing, and dynamics.
David Greilsammer played like a man possessed. Fingers flying across the keys, at times nearly rising entirely out of his seat. As each piece came to an end, Greilsammer pulled off the latest loose-leaf page of sheet music and tossed it over his shoulder into an ever-growing pile. Came to the end of the show, this spread will be covered in a blanket of white roses tossed from the crowd.
And who would expect any less? David Greilsammer is well-known and world-renowned, dubbed “one of today’s most audacious conductors and pianists,” particularly for his Mozart interpretations. Although Mozart makes a couple of appearances throughout the 70-minute programme, the focus is decidedly French, cantered around and bookended by Érik Satie, the eccentric 20th-century composer. (After all, it is a partnership with the Alliance française de Bali that brings Greilsammer to the island).
The programme presents a musical landscape that traverses centuries, continents, and a handful of iconic composers. As Greilsammer described it prior to the show, it is designed to get lost. Indeed, the transition between pieces was at times abrupt and, at others, so seamless that one nearly forgets where they were.
Perhaps the only unfortunate news is that this unique performance was Greilsammer’s only on the island. Shortly after leaving the spotlight, he embarked on a series of workshops held in the villages of North Bali, connecting with talented local musicians and working to make Western classical music more accessible to Indonesian youth.