[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts music review of pianists Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov and Dr. John Salmon show, Bach, Brubeck, Boogie and Beyond!, at The Athena Foundation for the Arts.
It was a typical Sunday. The skies were clear and there was a slight crispness to the air. I had a very busy week and I felt like I just got through some challenging moments. So, arriving at the Community Auditorium, I was prepared for a relaxing and meditative evening hearing some lovely classical music to begin my next week afresh. What I didn’t know was that the first few bars of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude in C Major were about to introduce me to some ‘Bach and Roll.’
The energy, joy, and excitement of the two piano maestros, John Salmon and Dmitry Rachmanov, were so contagious that I felt that I had stumbled into a fusion of classical music, jazz, and rock.
I was invigorated and I felt my toes tapping in rhythm to this genius concoction of sublime skills, music selection and performance.
The first selections were performed by the impeccable John Salmon who announced that he was the transgressor of the following pieces from Bach. Preludes in C Major and E-Flat, along with the Fugue in C Major which were all strung and played together with a fabric of brilliant and harmonious improvisations. Next, Dr. Salmon was joined on stage and exquisitely accompanied by Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov, and together, this duo gave us a completely new approach to Bach’s Invention No. 8, 13, and 14. It was as if Bach and Jerry Lee Lewis were playing side by side.
The second half of the evening was Dave Brubeck, as played by Dr. John Salmon. Once again, magic made its presence felt and the marriage of Salmon and Brubeck was another rare find. Jazz is king. I was also delighted to be introduced to a composer I knew very little of.
Rachmanov and Salmon played several selections composed by Mr. Barry Michael Wehrli. The beauty of these compositions was a perfect blend of poetry and sound. The final pieces felt more like Rachmanov and Salmon were having all the fun and we were just along for the ride.
This performance never felt like the audience was being played at, rather than included. It was more like a concert of rare talent and pure unadulterated joy that we were all a part of. I must admit, I had a spring in my step and bounce to the rest of the day. I went into the concert thinking I was having a nightcap of sorts, but instead, I was reenergised and ready to seize the upcoming week. Bravo!