Every Thursday in April, the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra's (CPO) Autumn Symphonies will fill the Cape Town City Hall with music.
CEO of the orchestra, Louis Heyneman said they were thrilled to be performing in person.
“Although the venue can only take half the capacity, the tickets are selling out. We look forward to when we can fill this hall again,” he said.
Heyneman said while performing online still allowed concert-goers to enjoy concerts, it came at a cost to the orchestra.
“When we live-streamed, one ticket would be bought for a family to watch at home compared to five tickets bought in person,” he said.
“We cut our salaries up to 30 percent for the first year and a half of the pandemic,” he said.
This past week, patrons in attendance had the privilege Italian pianist and soloist, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, playing the main feature piece in the first half of the concert. He played Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5, which averages 40 minutes.
The soloist described the experience as electrifying.
“I loved being in the city hall with the orchestra again. The last time I played with them was at the Artscape but the city hall has such a great atmosphere,” he said.
“There are great acoustics and it was wonderful to be there,” he added.
Pompa-Baldi, 47, has been playing the piano since he was four years old.
“I got into it because of a television broadcast of a piano concerto. My parents, Paolo and Gina, told me when I watched it at age three, I froze and didn’t want them to change the channel,” he said.
He added: “It piqued my interest and they found a teacher for me.”
Pompa-Baldi said although the pandemic has affected many parts of the world, he’s been playing for a live audience for the better part of the last year in America and Europe.
“I’m grateful that South Africa has opened its doors so that we could create the experience of playing for a live audience,” he said.
The pianist said he loved the instrument because it could play many melodic lines at once.
“It’s a polyphonic instrument. The piano gets you to the essence of the music and the music is what encapsulates me and envelopes me,” he said.
He added: “There’s a vast range of emotions that can be produced through music and it can stimulate the intellect as well as the heart and the soul.”
When he’s rehearsing for a concert, Pompa-Baldi said the preparation was intensive.
“You have to chart every minute and second of the course and leave room for inspiration of the moment,” he said.
“When you’re on stage, all you feel is what the music dictates to you. You become the piece that you’re playing,” he added.
The composers he most enjoys performing are Beethoven, Brahms and Rachmaninoff.
“There are so many that I enjoy. The two most influential pianists that I looked up to growing up are Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Krystian Zimerman,” he said.
As a pianist, Pompa-Baldi’s creative process is different because his instrument can’t be carried around with him.
“You have to be able to adjust to what is available. The Cape Philharmonic Orchestra’s piano is a gorgeous Steinway piano,” he said.
He added: “When that doesn’t happen, you have to make adjustments in the way you play. If it’s not a good one, you just have to stay true to what you do. As a pianist, you learn to do this quite early.”
Pompa-Baldi said it’s imperative to the industry that musician maintain their ability. This is why he rehearses for five to six hours a day.
“Some people think that once you learn how to play that you don’t need to practice to maintain your skill but that’s not true,” he said.
He added: “You have to practice every day or most days.”