Melbourne Reviews

Two men, one tall one short, wearing suits with open-necked shirts, march on stage and turn a happy grin to the audience. It is a significant day for pianist Jayson Gillham who, in the first performance of his Australian tour, introduces his close friend, Palestinian-Jordanian pianist Iyad Sughayer, to his native land. They are both now based in the UK.

Now thirty-nine and thirty-two respectively, they have already proved their worth, with a swag of awards between them. For a start, Gillham was Limelight’s 2024 Artist of the Year. Sughayer was Classic FM’s 2022 Rising Star. With no need to prove themselves, in this tour the duo is free to explore new possibilities together, using two pianos (sometimes one) and four hands to create a musical dialogue and an enriched human connection. It is a far cry from the solo virtuoso performance, where the famous artist sits alone, aiming at perfection.

Not that these two pianists are lacking in virtuosity: their technique is breathtaking, and their range of dynamics executed with exquisite delicacy. But their friendship and close collaboration add much more to the experience, for both performers and audience. In the program notes, Gillham talks about the human connection:

‘Listening, responding, surprising each other and finding things which neither could have imagined alone. Together, we discover something new.’

Gillham named the tour ‘Keys to Life’ and set out to explore the ability of the piano to conjure any instrument or combination of instruments. Indeed, several of the pieces on the wide-ranging program were originally written for the orchestra, or for another instrument, such as the harp in Ravel’s ‘Introduction and Allegro’. By adding a second piano and a second pianist, the possibilities multiply.

The pair shared a piano for the opening ‘Petite Suite’ by Debussy, but for most of the evening faced each other at two pianos on opposite sides of the stage. It is in this configuration that the connection between the two pianists is most visible. The distance between them makes listening and responding essential, and visibly clearer to the audience. The facial expressions and body movements act like a conductor, to synchronise the timing and express emotions that are taken up by the other.

The wide-ranging program includes those two composers who write mostly for the piano, Ravel and Debussy. The irrepressible Mozart made an appearance, played with a quizzical eyebrow at a high-trotting pace. The two pianists first bonded over this piece, Mozart’s only composition for two pianos. Mozart with four hands is a joy to witness! With fingers truly warmed up, the pair next attacked the two dramatic Russians, Anton Arensky and Aram Khachaturian. Sughayer, who had recorded all of Khachaturian’s work, was explosive in his ‘Three Pieces for Two Pianos’, bouncing off the piano stool to land his fingers harder on the keys.

The fireworks gave way to a more meditative piece, written especially for the two pianists, the world premiere of ‘Isolated’ by Palestinian-Lebanese composer Houtaf Khoury. For this intimate piece, the two shared a piano, creating a spacious, soft diminishing duologue, bringing a sense of peace.

Back to their individual pianos, the mood switched again to a delightful rendition of the ‘Suite for Two Pianos, No. 1’ by the other Russian composer, Anton Arensky. Sughayer was positively dancing, swaying his body and his arms to keep the circular rhythm alive. Gillham started to echo him: even he was waltzing now.

The mood of performers and audience was buoyant throughout. The pianists exchanged a hug after each piece and Jayson took the lead in introducing the next one. If anything was lacking, it was the missed opportunity to tell us more about the music ahead, and maybe some anecdotes about their collaboration.

Before a well-deserved encore, Gillham thanked the enthusiastic audience and praised the excellent acoustics of the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall, rated one of the best concert halls, acoustically, in the world.

This concert was a powerful beginning to the Australian tour of ‘Keys to Life’, and a hearty welcome to Australia for the magnificent Iyad Sughayer.