[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts music review of award-winning maestro pianist Marina Grozdanovic’s concert at Athena Foundation for the Arts.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Marina Grozdanovic gives a spellbinding performance at the Community Auditorium in North Hollywood, CA. That was the headline I saw in my head as the last few notes echoed through my mind as I walked out of the auditorium. The whole experience was invigorating and enriching. Ms. Grozdanovic not only displayed mastery of the pieces she played for us on this warm spring day, but she played each piece with astonishing passion that brought the music to another level of enjoyment.
Coming to the Athena Foundation for the Arts concert series for the last three years, I have seen the audiences get bigger and more diverse in terms of ages. Young and old come to these neighbourhood concerts that bring world-class talents to our backyard. Today’s performance was a full house, and at the end of every section of music that was played, the audience erupted in appreciative applause.
Today’s musical theme for the first half of the concert was “Sounds of France.” These carefully selected pieces came from such masters as Jean-Philippe Rameau, François Couperin, and Claude Debussy. The astounding talent of Ms. Grozdanovic’s performance came to me in the form of how well she understood these pieces. I don’t mean the memorisation of notes played. I mean to say that if these composers were alive today and listened to her interpretations of their pieces, they would all collectively say that she captured their true intentions of the pieces. Yes, it was that good.
After the intermission, the audience quickly returned to their seats and waited for the lights to dim and for Ms. Grozdanovic to take the stage again. This time, it would be Maurice Ravel and Frédéric Chopin, who would delight the audience. Each piece played was accompanied by works of art that augmented the experience of sight and sound. Bravo, Athena Foundation for the Arts, for now making this multimedia experience possible.
I experienced much joy this day. A warm and breezy early evening greeted me as I left the auditorium. As I approached the car park, I could hear several of my fellow audience members talking about what a lovely experience they had. As I passed by, I saw a three-generation family piling back into their car, and I realised that such beautiful music is for all of us. What a wonderful gift.
About The Athena Foundation for the Arts
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