A clear night sky and a pre-winter nip in the air provided the perfect setting for the third edition of the Western Classical Music Concerts at Victoria Memorial Hall’s Eastern Quadrangle, organised by Alliance Française du Bengale. The concert series kicked off on November 11, with French pianist Kim Barbier showcasing her recital, Shadow & Light, to a mesmerised audience
Photographs by Soumyajit DeyThe evening began with a welcome address by Alliance Française du Bengale’s executive director Nicolas Facino. ‘Over the past two editions of this concert series, we have seen the transformative power of music, and its ability to unite people from different backgrounds. We promise to take things up a notch with this edition, and today is the first in a series of five concerts!’
While the theme was ‘Romance on Piano’, Kim delivered much more. Her performance comprised six scintillating pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and Bizet
The music took the audience through a range of moods, from melancholy to introspection, passion to relaxation. ‘This piece is modelled to make you feel the gentle rocking of a boat,’ Kim smiled, before playing Barcarolle by Frederic Chopin
The evening was cherished by guests from around the world. Deputy consul-general of Japan Matsutaro Yamasaki and Australian consul-general Hugh Boylan were in the audience. ‘I was thrilled to attend such a fantastic concert, made even more beautiful by this wonderful venue,’ said Boylan. Yamasaki added: ‘The notes of the piano really spoke to me, and Alliance Française deserves credit for bringing Kolkata closer to Western classical music’
US consul-general Kathy Giles-Diaz and husband Miguel were all smiles after the concert. ‘I especially love Western classical music, so this concert was even more special,’ said Giles-Diaz
Samarendra Kumar, secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, promised that bigger things were in store. “This is just the start, with four more concerts set to draw visitors to Victoria Memorial this winter. To have Western classical music playing against the backdrop of one of the most iconic Indian cultural spaces is poetry’
Kim wrapped up her performance to an unrelenting standing ovation. ‘This has been a wonderful evening, and it was an honour to perform at this historic venue,’ she said, signing off with a bow of gratitude