In the fourth attempt, Kurt Schneeweis managed to get Ronald Brautigam to perform at the Vaterstetten Town Hall concerts. More than a year after the original appointment, thanks to the hospitality of the Small Theater in Haar and the rededication into a “piano matinee”, the meeting of loyal friends of demanding chamber music with the internationally sought-after Dutch pianist took place on Sunday morning.
With a Mozart as a prelude, the bride and groom let the appropriate Sunday sunbeam shine. Nobody for whom the twelve variations in C major on the French folk tune “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman” do not put a smile on their face or mind – even if it is because of the pre-Christmas appearance of the melody we come across in this country “tomorrow Santa Claus “sing. Ten minutes that give a day a happy character, especially a concert.
It fits in with the fact that Ronald Brautigam is someone who gets straight to the core of the composition. Take a short bow, take a seat on the piano stool, put your hands on the keyboard and the game begins. The pianist exudes a confidence and presence that goes far beyond what could be called “routine”. The piece, the instrument, he: a trinity of natural size, lived out with enthusiasm for Mozart’s wealth of ideas.
The fact that he followed the first piece, which seems like a finger exercise, with a complex work with Schubert’s Sonata in A major No. 20, deepened the impression of an artist who makes decisions because he has a wealth of experience and knows where the foundations for the bridges he builds musically lie. His way straight to the heart of the composition is straightforward and sincere. Mannerisms are alien to the bride and groom, his strong touch is free of ambiguities. Luther’s maxim “God help me, I can’t help it” is reflected in his game – and that’s a good thing. Because this sonata, as Hanspeter Krellmann notes in his last contribution to the program, “whips up emotions and at the same time soothes emotional states”.
Ending the concerto with Beethoven’s Sonata in E flat major No. 18 fitted into the Sunday emotional framework in every respect. As if tailor-made for this soloist, fast-paced, multi-layered, it invites you to play with open passion and clear speech. A morning like sparkling champagne, excited applause for a singular phenomenon in the history of the town hall concerts.