If you think that pianist Charl du Plessis should have a split personality, you would be right, says PETA STEWART as she interviews the musician:
First of all, Charl du Plessis is a jazz and a classical musician; then he spends so much time in Switzerland that he has to wonder where home really is. Finally, he is performing in the (classical) Triple Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings written by Tim Kliphuis and being premiered in South Africa with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra on 22 September 2022, and two days later Charl and Tim are playing as a duo in Baroque with a Twist, opening the Cape Town Baroque Festival on the Cape Town Concert Series platform at the Baxter Concert Hall. Expect Bach – but you also might get Billy Joel – in this crossover jazzy concert of improvisation. It’s one of ten the duo is performing around the country. So yes, he is a man of many musical parts.
There are many ‘firsts’ to Charl’s name – he was the first piano student in South Africa to gain a doctorate in both classical and jazz piano; he was the first pianist ever to perform on top of Table Mountain; he was the first to perform at Loftus Versfeld rugby field in Pretoria; he was the first South African invited to perform at the opening of Steinway Hall in Beijing. On top of this, he is the youngest pianist in Africa to be named a Steinway Artist (in 2010). All this feeds into his philosophy that doing something unusual brings classical music to a wider audience. And he is probably one of the few pianists who used the empty time thanks to cancelled concerts during the Covid pandemic to his advantage, and worked with Ian Burgess-Simpson to become a piano technician, jumping at the opportunity to realise a lifelong dream. 
Teaching, performing, collaborating
Charl teaches classical piano at the University of Pretoria, performs solo or with his jazz trio, and is his own agent and publicist. His jazz trio, formed in 2006, takes up much of his time, and he notes that “the biggest influence on my music is the drummer in my trio, Peter Auret – he challenges me and opens my mind and ears to musical possibilities I would never have encountered otherwise. This exchange of musical minds is what keeps me humble, fit and always open to learn more.”
For a man who came from an unmusical family in which no one sang, or played an instrument, he has gone far. “My parents were quite shocked when their little boy wanted to entertain people. Initially, I was a good boy soprano, then I turned to the piano at the age of nine. We had a Steinway grand piano in the house because my mother loved the look of it, and I was always drawn to this big black powerful instrument. I instantly recognised the power of performance and entertainment. I knew I wanted to be a professional musician by the age of 15, at which stage my father was very concerned that I would not be able to make a living. But when he passed away 16 years ago, he was happy knowing I had achieved some success and could take care of myself!”
No stranger to the CPO
Du Plessis is not new to the CPO – he performed Rhapsody in Blue some years ago, “and in the same concert made an arrangement which I called the Re-Invention Suite featuring some of my own compositions with Grieg, Lady Gaga and Mozart. It was such fun! Then I performed in Starlight Classics in 2017. I always love hearing this orchestra whenever I am in Cape Town.” In fact, he makes a point of coming down especially when the orchestra hosts such musicians as Stephen Hough or Paul Lewis.
Switzerland has been good to him, he says. “The people enjoy the crossover music as well as some more jazzy music I play there, but I have always been seen as a classical pianist. It all started with masterclasses I attended in 1999 with the great Hungarian pianist György Sebök. He presented three weeks of master classes and it opened a new world for me. I have been invited back ever since.”
What makes pianos sound great
If you think that’s all there is to Charl du Plessis, think again. He is a passionate cook, and loves going to gym or taking a run. He also spends any spare time reading about pianos, their history and technicians who make them sound great – that, he says, remains a lifelong passion and obsession.
He is really looking forward to the Kliphuis collaboration and the Kliphuis Concerto. “We were supposed to collaborate in Baroque in the Bush in 2020 and all we were left with was doing a once-off online collaboration,” says Charl (see below). “Tim is such an energetic musician and a renowned improviser and all these qualities speak to me. I have enjoyed learning his Triple Concerto and look forward to experiencing this live.”
It’s been a busy time for Charl – he recently performed in Switzerland and at the Klein Karoo Klassique as well as two stage productions with Karen Zoid, Stef Bos and Nataniël with whom he has been performing for 22 years. When the tour is over, what’s next?
“I have been asked to write a jazz piano concerto by the CEO of the CPO, Louis Heyneman, but the pandemic got in the way, so I plan to concentrate on that,” says Charl.
What: Charl du Plessis (piano) in the Tim Kliphuis Triple Concerto with Kliphuis and cellist Peter Martens and the CPO; Tim Kliphuis with Charl du Plessis
Where and when: Cape Town City Hall, 22 September 2022 at 8pm | Baxter Concert Hall 24 September at 11 am
Tickets:
CPO: Here
CTCS: Here
WS
