Goans have established a tradition of carrying the richness of their talent to foreign shores and making a mark there. And enriched with their interaction with musical creativity overseas, they return to their little nest to share their achievement with young ones who are waiting to fly high and soar in the musical firmament. Pro Musica in association with Kala Academy and the Austrian High Commission organised a piano recital by Marialena Fernandes on 4 January 2006 at 6.30 pm at the Kala Academy Hall.

Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” originally written for piano and orchestra, later arranged for two pianos, was played in the virtuosic arrangement by the composer for solo piano! The stunning performance with the cascading runs rippling in waves across the keyboard, the intricate hand crossovers with the left hand hitting notes in between the rush of notes for the right hand, the hands falling with confident ease to shape complex chords was a visual and an aural delight rarely experienced in Goa. The central melody was caressingly sweet, the interchange between the orchestral textures and the piano emerged with exceeding clarity and the hair-raising technical brilliance with its climatic close threw the audience to its feet in a thunderous standing ovation.

Exhausted but glowing with her warm rapport with the very supportive enthusiastic audience, Marialena pacified the demand for more with an encore that sent everyone wild with admiration. The simple popular “Fur Elise” by Beethoven generated an on-the-spot experiment with numerous other tunes including a Goan mando being woven into the basic tune – another first!. She was completely in control playfully repeating, adding, extending the mix into a sonic game. She had the audience completely in love with her. At the end, the audience thronged onto the stage to congratulate her personally until it was time to push everyone out of the hall.

The Sonatas of Haydn and Mozart that occupied the first half of the program gave us an opportunity to experience her special area of expertise – Haydn, Mozart and the Viennese classicism. The clarity of finger work, the purity of phrasing and the subtle depth of nuance and articulation were exemplary. “The Scenes from Chilhood” by Robert Schumann immersed us in poetry of the Romantic period presented in thirteen contrasting moods of the child in man. In her hands, the famous “Traumerei” was deeply touching, and the lyrical tonal shades of the other pieces transported us to that deep inner world. Here was an artist in total command of pianistic poetry.

Marialena Fernandes leaves behind a trail of glory as she climbs the steps to the heights with assured momentum. Her piano solo concert career spans the globe. Though she has a strong affinity for the Classical and Romantic periods, she is also actively involved in contemporary, experimental and crossover projects. Her recordings testify to her wide-ranging artistry. She is particularly interested in improvisation and arrangements of both Classical and Popular music. She gave us a taste of her impromtu inventiveness in her daring encore. A select few were treated to her jazz brilliance at Olympio Almeida’s house in Siolim when she played Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” dancing to Goan rhythms and rubbing shoulders with Konkani songs on an electronic keyboard!

She has been program curator and artistic director of several concert series promoting young musicians and is the founder of the Gemini Quartet with the soloists of the Vienna Philharmonic. This highly profiled Chamber Musician, also teaches chamber music at the University of Music in Vienna. Her master classes take her to the Malmo Hogskolan at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, the Sangat Festival in India, the “Allegro Vivo” Festival, Austria, and the Music Academy in Sofia. She has been recently appointed Professor at the University for Music and the Performing Arts, Vienna.

At her well-attended Master Class on 5 January at the Black Box, Kala Academy she was able to motivate students to listen to the music, to the instruments in the piano writing and “to sing the melody” in their playing. She demonstrated various methods for “liberating the hands”, freeing the mind and jazzing the scales – making music fun and enjoying it to the full. The loving care and the attention to detail characterised her approach to her teaching.

Marialena Fernandes, the much travelled, multi-faceted music personality was a rare treat. The first Pro Musica Classical Music Concert was an auspicious start for a rewarding musical 2006. She has committed herself to return in December to participate in the Goa-wide Beethoven celebrations centred around the statue of Beethoven in Siolim.