Diane de Beer
It’s almost a case of “have piano, will travel”, the way pianist/producer Charl du Plessis gets around. From Berlin to Switzerland to the Karoo Klassiek in Oudtshoorn to Joburg, he’s finally settling down for a few weeks as the pianist in Nataniël’s latest show at Emperor’s, After Animals.
It’s been a whirlwind these past few months. Small wonder Nataniël explains how they have to rehearse on skype.
Not only does Du Plessis get around, he also jumps in at the deep end. A few months ago, he was visiting Berlin (before performing with his jazz trio at a music festival in Ernen, Switzerland) where he attended classical and jazz concerts – both of which he performs.
Attending a concert by vocalist Bobby McFerrin and jazz piano legend Chick Corea at the Berliner Philharmonie Hall, midway through the concert Corea asked if there was any pianist in the house who would like to come up on stage and improvise with him.
Du Plessis, who was sitting quite close to the stage, didn’t hesitate. “I shot out of my chair like an arrow and 20 seconds later shook the hands of these two inspiring men and took my first bow on the stage of the Philharmonie,” he says.
McFerrin commented on his beautiful shirt and then Corea sat next to him.
“The next five minutes became a haze of thoughts, emotions, sounds and testing responsiveness and improvisational abilities to the maximum. I remember starting in E minor – not a particular key I even prefer – and I remember the 2 250-strong audience cheering like crazy at some point. And then all of a sudden it was over. I shook hands again and took a slow bow.”’
It’s a night he says he will never forget and because he didn’t want to interrupt the concert which was being filmed, he waited at the artists’ entrance for Corea, to catch a picture of them together.
“Yes I am lucky and sure the planets aligned in a way which made it possible to play with a jazz legend on one of the world’s most sought-after stages. In the next chapter of my life, the evidence of this life-changing moment will hopefully be quite apparent.”
There’s more to the Ernen performance than meets the eye. A few years ago, Trio (his jazz outfit) were performing their Baroque Swing concert at the festival when they were approached by a Swiss record label who said they would like to have that kind of music in their repertoire. So, they created a new Baroque programme which they rehearsed and performed at the festival on July 26.
“We would rehearse seven hours a day, a little like a boot camp,” says Du Plessis. And now they’re waiting to hear whether this international label is going to go ahead.
Their next concert is part of the Klein Karoo Klassique this weekend where the trio will be joined by singers Magdalene Minnaar and tenor Musanete as they tackle Mozart with music that’s familiar, including Eine Klein Nachtmusik and Queen of the Night.
On Sunday, they are due to return to Joburg where they will perform Classic Broadway under the auspices of the Johannesburg Musical Society – a concert to lighten the spirit, says Du Plessis.