The Committee is to be congratulated on the brilliant idea of including, at the AGM, an interlude of music performed by members of the Society. While the performers made no pretence of being recitalists, their unselfconscious willingness to perform added a delightful measure of charm to the evening as did their engaging modesty.
The programme, introduced by Bettie Niehaus, included the following items:
Reon Meij set the tone with his musical rendition of Bach’s well-known Prelude in C major. Marian Smit impressed us with one of Mozart’s early sonatas.
Bettie Niehaus’s performance of the final movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op 13, ‘Pathetique’, captured the audience’s imagination especially as Bettie had pointed out that the movement was marked Rondo indicating that Beethoven keeps returning to the main melody throughout the movement.
Bettie and Naomi van Scalkwyk then played a Spanish Dance duet - I wonder how many of us were taken back to our own days of duet playing!
In his popular inimitable way, Dougie Yasbek entertained us with Viva Espanja and La donna e mobile
A pleasing contrast was then given by Marian who entertained with a delicate Arabesque by Debussy.
This was followed by Fritz Kreizler’s ever popular violin piece Liebesträume (arranged for piano) played by Bettie and which had many in the audience nodding to the music.
The programme ended with the bright and lively In an English Country Garden, as a duet, played once again by Bettie and Naomi.
Of significance was the members’ own use of the Society’s recently acquired boudoir grand piano, symbolising as it did, the realisation of a long cherished dream.
For me, and probably for many, it was an evening of great pleasure and high nostalgia. The small audience was treated to a unique village occasion – what a pity so many other members denied themselves a most memorable evening!
John Stonier
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