Orrett Rhoden in concert at University of the West Indies Chapel, on Sunday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
Beset by the constant assault on the finer things of life, the civilised class has long retreated into its well- fortified homes, allowing those who glorify violence, denigrate womenfolk and lambaste anything that is not a celebration of the cheap and commonplace and the ordinary to assume the role of the arbiters of popular culture.
And so it was that with the rise of the curry-goat-and-styrofoam-culture; the subsequent coarsening of the sensibilities, where the art of communication must be reduced to that of the posture and music reduced to the vile and vitriolic rantings of the mercenary - not to mention the misogynic and self-hating histrionics of the barely literate; what is left of theatre is reduced to being the celebration of the crudest forms of our vulgarities and or depravities. Little wonder here that the denizens of civilised living, haute style and the culturally aware have become social recluses fearing to venture where only the foolhardy tread these days!
'Command' performance
Well, enter Jamaican pianist extraordinaire, the talented showman Orrett Rhoden, in 'command' performance at the University of the West Indies Chapel, on Sunday April 22. And you all know that the civilised class would be out in full force and social regalia, for this so- longed-for outing!
Well my dears, they did, and Rhoden, did not disappoint. In fact he elevated the spirits, lifted the soul, transported the mind from the humdrum of the temporal to the heavenly beauty and majesty of the glory of music. Music of another time and place, but music so fine it transcended and obliterated all boundaries, managing in its wake, to free the mind, body and spirit, to drink of its infinite and all-encompassing beauty.
A former child prodigy, Rhoden's love affair with the piano began at the relatively tender age of eight. And recognising then that she had a star awaiting discovery on her hands, his loving mother, Mrs. Norma Rhoden, facilitated her son's budding genius by encouraging his natural talent by schooling him with one of Jamaica's leading pianists and tutor of the time, the late Mrs. Rita Coore.
My daahlings, Rhoden not only blossomed, he flourished and became the toast of the piano-loving music world during the mid '80s, a position that saw him performing with the London Symphony in November of '84. Almost a year later, it was at Carnegie Hall in New York, in October of '85. He has given performances across Europe, the United States of America, Canada, France, Mexico and Spain, and several here in Jamaica.
'Talented beyond belief'
A musical purist, Rhoden has been described by some of the world's leading music critics as being "talented beyond belief", a talent which has caused him to eschew the more popular and accessible piano pieces for his concerts, opting instead, to master and or interpret the more challenging works of the masters of the 18th and 19th centuries.
For Sunday's recital, Rhoden did not disappoint, as he was both the consummate concert pianist and showman, in thought and deed as he in classic prose and poise, worked the concert grand,extracting every nuance, motif, the very fiber and essence of the music. The capacity audience sat in absolute awe.
The University Chapel was most certainly not the most accommodating venue, acoustically. And the sweltering afternoon heat did represent quite a bit of a challenge, not just for the pianist, but moreso for the audience. But Rhoden not only commanded everyone's attention, scarcely a soul noticed the inconvenience.
Oh my word, what a performance! Precious angels, to say it was captivating could not possibly convey the artistry, the brilliance and the depth of the performance!
Dovecakes, Rhoden was flawless, and then some!
Great pieces
Dearhearts, his opening piece, Mozart's Sonata in C, K. 330, (that evoked memories of the late Thomas Garwood), through to Brahms's 25 Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, saw the audience through to intermission. He resumed with Schubert's Impromptu, Opus 90, No. 3; Ravel's Valses Nobles et Sentimentales and his finale, Liszt's Transcendental Etudes - No. 1, Prelude in C Major; No. 2, Molto Vivace in A Minor; No. 3, Paysage in F Major; No. 10, Allegro Agitato Molto in F minor climaxing with Harmonies du Soir, No. 11, in D Flat.
Among the notables were: The Most Hon. Glynne Manley; former first lady, Mrs. Mitsy Seaga; Lady Alistair McIntire; Dr. Carlton and Mrs. Davis; Head of EU Delegation to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands, HE Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi-Alemanni; the UNDP's Juan-Carlos Espinoza and Mrs. Espinoza; social icon Mrs. Edith Desnoes; the pre-eminent Dr. David Boxer; Mrs. Ruby Martin; Earl Levy; Gloria Moodie; Christopher and Jill Roberts; the charming Jennifer Lym; George Fatta; Mrs. P.J. Stewart; Ainsley and Marjorie Henriques; Mrs. Lois Lake Sherwood; Ian and Celia Levy; Dr. Cecil McIver; Donald Lindo; the elegant Hillary Phillips Q.C.; Peter Fraser; Joy Mahfood; George Faria; Audrey Soutar; Pearl Wright; Dr. Carol Ball; Claude Fletcher; Andrea Bickhoff Benjamin; Legal luminary Ainsworth Campbell; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Whittaker; Paulette Bellamy; Dr. Diana Ashley; Marjorie Whylie; Nicola Croswell-Mair and sister Felicity Brandt; Mrs. Laurel Levy and her daughter Laura Levy; Dr. Eric and Mrs. Garraway; Ms. Ruth Creightney; Dr. Tony Lewis; Mrs. Fay HoSang; Les Harker; the trs fab Dian Watson; the lovely Kayleigh Malcolmson; the fabulous Sonia Rickards; Michael Conway; Ann McNamee; Donette Zacca; the oh-so-gracious Pauline Stone-Myrie; Douglass Burrelace; Charmaine Lemonius; Mrs. Jean Arscott; Kimberly Kahn; Mrs. Cher Martin; Mrs. Gretta Gooding; Jeffery Sheilds; Len Sheilds; Mrs. Clara McGilchrist and her sibling Mrs. Margaret Maxwell; Professor Graham and Beryl Sergeant; Dr. Knox Hagley; Mrs. Jacquline Henry; Dr. Bunny Morrison and wife Dr. Elena Morrison and their daughter Vannina Morrison and scores more.
