"Music “Apocryphon of Initiation” by Larry Sitsky, performed by Edward Neeman. ANU School of Music.

EVERY so often, you get to see a performance that puts everything else in the shade.

It was so on Thursday night when Edward “Teddy” Neeman sat at the piano to perform Sitsky’s work, “Apocryphon of Initiation”.

Sitsky has long steeped himself in Egyptian mythology, but Neeman, in a few brief words, modestly disclaimed knowledge in this area, but was able to point us to the trajectory of the nine movements composed by Sitsky as a ritual initiation.

His performance had been preceded by the launch of Sitsky’s new book, “The Compleat Busoni’, Volume 1”, representing years of research into the music of Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni. This was introduced by music critic and academic Malcolm Gillies, who quoted a colleague to the effect that Sitsky was “The Compleat Musician.”

Admiringly, Gillies noted that Sitsky’s subtitle for “Apocryphon of Initiation” is “Concerto No. 3 for piano (without orchestra)”.

What could this mean? A concerto is by definition performed with an orchestra.

Neeman soon made the meaning plain with an performance of sheer musicality in which he explored the full capacity of the piano, sometimes  knocking on the instrument, sometimes bashing the keyboard with his elbows, leaping up from the instrument at times and elsewhere delicately articulating Sitsky’s finer melodies.

Neeman was at once the conductor, soloist and full orchestra. When his right hand was working, his left hand was conducting; when his left hand was performing extraordinary feats, his right hand was gesturing, while as we could see on the large upstage screen, his face was reflecting the music with delight, ferocity and passion..."

Read original article by Helen Musa from CBR City News.