Pianist Marouan Benabdallah weaves musical magic in city

CHANDIGARH: Giving way to Villa Savaric, an exhibition on display at the Alliance Francaise art gallery by India-born French painter Danesh Bharucha, internationally renowned Hungarian-Moroccan pianist Marouan Benabdallah enlightened an evening of nostalgic melodies at the same venue, here on Saturday.
Playing some of the choicest pieces from several Moroccan, French and American composers on a white B.Steiner piano, Benabdallah, the stalwart of international repute representing Moroccan heritage orchestras, transported the audience on a journey of minimalistic and heightened sounds.
Having performed in Chandigarh 11 years ago for a concert, Benabdallah began weaving magic with his fingers gliding on the keyboard and started off with American composer Philip Glass' piece titled 'Mad Rush', 1979. With an encompassing haunt, Benabdallah slowly moved onto the soulful leaps and dips in notes, creating a structure of melancholic progression of sounds very similar to cinematic orchestra's piece 'Arrival of birds'. The symphony, floats and surrounds the room, and then stops, dims only to begin again.
He further moved on to the brilliance of French composer Claude Debussy, playing two pieces titled 'Estampes' and 'Pagodes' from the classical realm. 'Estampes' comprises Japanese-Asian influences, and the music inspired from far-East Asia. However, 'Pagodes' represents sentiments of 'garden under the rain, winds blowing, light and strong rain'. He also played Debussy's 'Claire de Lume' one of the most acclaimed compositions by him.
Benabdallah went on to offer pieces from German Composer Hans Otte on the pentatonic scale along with four short pieces depicting depicting 'gestures' in music, folding in a span of 10-15 seconds each.