It wasn’t easy for Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham (pictured left) to decide what he wants to perform with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. But he did: he will perform the Mozart Piano Concerto no 21, K467, on 14 September 2023, with Bernhard Gueller on the podium, says SHIRLEY GUELLER.
“The piano repertoire is virtually endless and there is so much I would love to play, so I sometimes have trouble prioritising,” he says. Jayson was due to play the Beethoven Piano Concerto no 4 in the winter season in 2020 which was cancelled thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Sometimes the schedule dictates programming decisions which can actually be very helpful. I have just come from playing the Mozart No. 21 in Australia and it is one of my all-time favourites so I’m delighted to be playing it for my Cape Town debut.”
This concerto is sometimes called the “Elvira Madigan” because it became more widely known when the second movement, performed by Geza Anda, himself known to older Cape Town audiences from appearances here, was in the Swedish film of the same name.
As he says, it’s “a sparkling gem which radiates a vibrant positive life force throughout. It has the most gorgeous lyrical floating middle movement, which has seen it become one of the most famous and loved piano concertos of all time. As you can tell, it is one of my very favourite pieces, and I am absolutely delighted to be making my first visit to Cape Town to perform it with the Cape Town Philharmonic.“
Jayson was born in Australia where the greatest musical influence on his life, from the age of 14 to 21, was his piano teacher in Brisbane, Leah Horwitz.
He is grateful to her, as he is grateful to his parents who, though not a musical family, saw that the old upright piano which was mostly a piece of furniture was transformed into something useful when his older brother started piano lessons at the age of eight. “As I then showed a keen interest in playing too, my parents encouraged me and I started piano lessons right away. I was four and half at the time so I got a head start because of my brother.”
Numerous prizes
He wasn’t sure though as his high school came to an end if piano “would end up as my career, though I had always liked playing, so I also took science subjects, which at the time I really enjoyed. I decided however that I should try for music first at university, so I enrolled at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane in order to continue my lessons with Leah Horwitz. At the age of 17 I entered my first international piano competition – the Sydney International – and reached the semi-finals. It was then that I realised that if I really worked hard there was nothing stopping me from reaching the highest international standards of playing. At this time my love and appreciation of music was developing and deepening quickly as well, and I realised this was something I could see myself doing into the future.”
After his studies in Australia, he moved to the Royal Academy of Music in London for his master’s degree and went on to win numerous prizes from some of the world’s leading piano competitions including the Leeds and Van Cliburn. In 2014, he won the Montreal International Music Competition that brought him to international attention.
Over the years he has performed with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic and London Philharmonic, at many festivals and in many recitals, including one with Sarah Jane Brandon.
But still “Australia will always feel like home to me, even though I have lived in London for 15 years now. I’ve visited Australia every year, even in 2020 and 2021, and sometimes I go a couple of times in one year.” In fact, just before coming to Cape Town from London, he had had a concert tour of Australia with concertos in Brisbane and Hobart, and a recital in Brisbane.
Many recordings
So how does he divide his time? His career is mainly solo recitals and concerto performances, and he has found that teaching is taking up more of his time and that he is enjoying it along with exploring more chamber music, duos and lieder. He presents masterclasses and teaches at tertiary institutions in the UK and Australia, and these “are also teaching me and helping me to grow as a musician. I really enjoy helping others to discover something inside them they didn’t know they were capable of, and to unlock some of the secrets of music and piano playing together.”
He has released many recordings, including a live recording of the complete Beethoven piano concertos with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, conductor Nicholas Carter, and released on the ABC Classic label, met with critical acclaim and was nominated for the 2020 ARIA award for Best Classical Album.
What’s in the future?
“Apart from my ongoing solo journey, I would like to curate a festival or concert series of chamber music, and one day maybe I will find the perfect pianist partner for duos and duets.
“Most of all I hope that I can continue to grow as a musician for many years ahead! I always strive to be more effective at bringing the music to life in all its colour and definition. If I can continue learning and discovering then it will be a satisfying journey for me!”
Jayson returns to London after Cape Town to perform recitals in the wonderful St Martin’s in the Fields church and then travelling to the Palazzo Tornabuoni in Florence for more.
He is so pleased that “I am finally able to come to Cape Town for this performance. I have heard many great things about the city and the orchestra and am really looking forward to discovering both. Last year I managed to get to Johannesburg and Durban but I have been waiting patiently for my first visit to Cape Town and I’m very excited!
What: Pianist Jayson Gillham with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra with Bernhard Gueller on the podium. Spring Symphonies at the City Hall
Where and when: City Hall on 14 September at 7.30pm; pre-concert talk at 6.45pm; open dress rehearsal at 11am.
Tickets: Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695 and Computicket and dress rehearsal at Quicket
WS
