One of the best piano recitals I have seen in Bermuda

Bishari Haroni and Yaron Kohlberg gave a small Bermuda audience a feast of romantic and modern music on Monday night.

Starting with the romantic Schubert Fantasy for Piano, four hands in F Minor the audience was immediately captivated by their rendering, with four hands on one keyboard. Having lulled the audience, they then split up to two keyboards and Karsilama by Avner Dorman, a modern commission from the Duo Amal gave a modern jazzy hip rendition sharply in contrast and exciting by its variance from Schubert. The Duo did attempt to explain the Prokofiev Classical Symphony Op 25 asking the audience to listen for the various instruments of the orchestra illustrated in the piece. They did explain that they were not used to describing the pieces they played. 

The audience were completely in their pocket by this time, due to the wonderful choice of programme and performance by the two enthusiastic young pianists.

After the intermission another modern commissioned piece Amal by Samir Odde Tamimi was executed, and the pianists rose and plucked the piano strings in fact no one quite knew what was going to happen next.

They ended their exhuberant recital with Rachmaninov’s Suite No.1, which was played with much sympathy and tonal quality and the audience small, though it was, clapped until the Duo returned for an encore. This was one of the best piano recitals I have ever attended in Bermuda not only for the quality of the performance of two wonderful and accomplished pianists but for the clever choice of programme. An excellent choice by the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts. 

It was just a pity that so few came to the theatre on a Monday night! 

• Bishari Haroni and Yaron Kohlberg will be giving a free lunchtime talk today at the Bermuda Society of Arts at 12:15pm. Tickets are complimentary but must be reserved. 

• There is one more performance by Duo Amal this evening at City Hall at 8pm. Tickets are $65 for adults ad $25 for students and are available from www.bdatix.bm and Bermudatix outlets. Visit www.bermudafestival.org for more details.