Duo Concertante’, a musical performance by singer Joanne D’Mello and pianist Andrea Fernandes, was organised by The Bangalore School of Music at the Alliance Francaise recently. The event saw classical music and theatre blending together.
This concert, which followed the style of opera, narrated the story of a young girl who had fallen in love. It’s the journey of her emotions and how she felt when she was in love. The experience then moved on to betrayal and finally devastation, where the young girl hopes that her lover will return. With different compositions from classic composers like Mozart, the performance left the audience amazed.
From soft and subtle romantic notes to rapid ones, the audience were transported through the different emotions that the character went through. At one moment she would be sitting with a fan in her hand reminiscing the conversation and smiling to herself, and in the next, she was anxious about how the relationship was moving. The frantic emotions showcased by the girl when she realises that her lover has left without even letting her know why, disturbs her. These expressions were well portrayed by the singer.
The girl soon realises that she would probably never see her lover again and breaks down. She then tries to recuperate. At the end of the performance, the audience broke into a thunderous applause. They were delighted when the duo came back on stage with an encore piece called ‘Art is calling for me’ from the musical ‘The Enchantress’.
Andrea Fernandes, the pianist who’s been performing for 22 years, talked about her experience on stage. “We wanted to make sure the audience was well involved with the performance and this was a new style we experimented — music with dialogues,” said Andrea. She also said that she was performing after 10 years in the City. She felt great to be in Bangalore and performing in front of an appreciative audience.
Joanne D’Mello, the singer of the evening had a special spot in her heart for Bangalore. Years back, she was here for a camp for two months as a student. She said, “This new style is something I wanted to experiment with. We had to do something which stood out and related to the audience, yet be different. I think we were successful.”
About the performance, Ravindran CG, a music connoisseur, said, “I’m more of an Indian classical music enthusiast and this concert was recommended to me by a friend, and I’m glad I could come. The energy seen on the stage by the duo is not something I’ve seen in recent times, and the applause confirmed the talent they have.”