A pair of forceful hands beat the mystery of musical symbols on black and white keys, shining under the stage lights. The music, changing back and forth between low and gentle, makes people feel like they are in the countryside and stepping into the stream. On October 9, at the invitation of the 2023 Shenzhen Belt & RoadInternational Music Festival, Gerhard Oppitz, known as the "Best Inheritor of German Classic Music", performed the classic works of two great artists, Schubert and Liszt, at the Longgang Cultural Centre, leading the audience to enjoy the infinite charm of music amid black and white keys.

Gerhard Oppitz Piano Recital

Gerhard Oppitz began his international music career in 1977 and won the "Second Rubinstein International Piano Competition" in Tel Aviv, Israel as a champion in the same year. He was the first German to win the competition. In 1981, Oppitz was invited to take up a professorship at the Munich Academy of Music, where his professorship lasted until 2013. It is worthy of mention that the Rubinstein International Piano Competition is one of the top international competitions, along with the Chopin International Piano Competition and the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. The first competition was held in 1974 and is held every three years in Tel Aviv.

Once stepping into the Grand Theater of Longgang Cultural Centre, the neatly arranged top lights illuminated the entire stage, and the quiet atmosphere pervaded all around. As Oppitz gracefully went to the piano, the audience's enthusiastic applause continued for a long time. The performer in a black suit sat peacefully in front of the piano. Notes like shooting stars across the night sky, a melodious and emotional melody flowed out like a spring from his dancing fingertips amid the lighting. The whole Grand Theater fell into a quiet, time stagnated. Each note accurately and delicately delivered Oppitz's inner thoughts, and each touch of the keys was a tribute to the music. The audience gazed intently at the stage, captivated by the magic of the music.

On the evening of October 9, Gerhard Oppitz performed a total of five pieces, namely Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata C Major, D.840, Wanderer-Fantasie, and Franz Liszt's Ballade No. 2 b minor, Sonetti di Petrarca, as well as the Variations on Bach's “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”. The personality of the musician himself was highlighted when Gerhard Oppitz performed Liszt's Ballade No. 2 b minor. Music mood developed with note changes, getting all the musical thoughts through, with great dramatic tension and live appeal. Oppitz rose and bowed to the audience after playing the last note. A torrent of applause ensued instantly, lasting almost a minute, which was a tribute and praise from the audience to the music and to the piano player.

Actually, the atmosphere inside the Grand Theater ushered in a small climax even before Oppitz took the stage. The audience entered Longgang Cultural Centre one after another excitedly and expectedly. Ms. Chen, who lives nearby and was holding her child's hand as she prepared to enter the theater, said with a smile, "We are very fortunate to be able to see such a cultural feast at my doorstep. It just so happens that my child is learning to play the piano, and as soon as she heard that there was a master piano performance, she hurriedly finished her homework to come and listen to this concert." Nikolai, an associate professor at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, came to the concert because he loves music, and even more so he likes to get together with people to enjoy music.

The audience remained mesmerized by the music for a long time after the performance. Mr. Cao, who studies at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, has been praising the maestro's wonderful performance with his friends. "Thanks to Oppitz's solo, we have a more specific vision of our dreams on this fall evening," said Cao.

In October, Longgang Cultural Centrewill also stage the "Ancient Sounds of the Silk Road" Concert by Gurdjieff Ensemble, the "Memory of Mali" Concert by Fatoumata Diawara, and other exciting performances of the 2023 Shenzhen Belt & Road International Music Festival.

（Photos by Li Lewei）