‘Fireworks’ set for piano recital

A PREMIER international pianist is set to delight music-lovers at the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts.

The 17th annual Don Huntley Memorial Piano Recital will be performed by Russian instrumentalist Konstantin Shamray.

“I consider him to be the greatest,” said senior piano teacher at Ballarat Grammar, Bronislaw Sozanski.

“He won the Sydney International, and is the only pianist to have won the audience prize and the judges’ prize.

“He’s a very fine, elegant, stylish player, and it’s going to be a very major, exciting concert, with a big program.

“He could play in any concert hall in the world a draw a crowd. He’s someone really special. If you want to see fireworks at the piano, you’re going to see them here.”

Piano Sonata No. 8 by Sergei Prokofiev, Prelude Chorale and Fugue by Cesar Franck, and La Valse by Maurice Ravel are all set to feature on Shamray’s set list.

Mr Sozanski said the recital will be as good as any other you could see and hear in Australia.

“This is the only dedicated piano recital we have in Ballarat each year, and we want to keep that profile going,” he said.

“As part of that, we have a masterclass in the morning with half a dozen students for 90 minutes to two hours, where they’ll play a piece each, it’s discussed, worked through, and the audience watches and might ask questions.

“There’s a pedagogical role, as well as the performance, and we have the best piano here in Ballarat at the performing arts centre, a Steinway D.”

Don Huntley was a local accountant, a member of the Ballarat Grammar board, and a driving force behind the establishment of the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts, which opened shortly after his sudden death in 2006.

The memorial recital, and a fund, were established to cover the costs of the centre’s Steinway international competition-standard grand piano, and to support piano scholarships at Ballarat Grammar.

“We’ve been able to attract top people in Australia to come and play, and we’ve had some absolutely fabulous concerts,” Mr Sozanski said.

“Most of the people that play for us also play regularly in the Sydney Opera House, or at Hamer Hall. They’re top-notch professional pianists.”

Shamray is also a piano lecturer at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music.

The concert will be held at 7.30pm on Saturday, 13 May at the WCPA. A champagne supper will follow. Visit bit.ly/3V8OfIS for tickets.