It was a proud moment for the select gathering of Hyderabadis to see Timothy Marthand in concert at the Taj Falaknuma Palace last weekend. That this internationally acclaimed concert pianist is playing for the first time in India and in his home town Hyderabad made it all the more special.
Taj Falaknuma Palace’s initiative to recreate the core cultural tradition of Hyderabad through classical art had them inviting Timothy Marthand for this piano recital, thus offering sublime sonorous moments to the invitees.
With three breathtakingly beautiful chandeliers suffusing a soft glow to the royal Durbar Hall, the piano at centre stage was akin to an altar waiting for its high priest. And when the high priest of music arrived, he proved ‘he talks to people through his music’ (as he had mentioned earlier); his mesmerising fingers conversed and the audience reciprocated with a spell of awed silence followed by cheery applause.
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In his crisp but gripping repertoire, Timothy covered Chopin’s Mazurkas Op 59, Valse Op 64 and Ballade in F- Minor Op 52, Scarletti’s Sonata in B Minor and Mozarts’s Allegro, Adagio and Allegro Assai.
Indeed it was a magical moment to cherish for the connoisseurs and lay people alike.
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A kid was found asking Timothy after the concert, ‘While you tour the world, do you miss Hyderabad biryani?’ Timothy, in all earnestness replied, “I do. And I make up for it when I’m in Hyderabad. My mom cooks wonderful biryani.”
The move ahead
Relaxing after the concert, Timothy shares his plans to start a music academy in Hyderabad. Under the guidance of his parents John and Dr. Binothi Marthand, their home in Banjara Hills has been a training ground for many a budding pianist. To inculcate passion among music aspirants in the City, Timothy plans to have an official space for his academy which he plans to name as ‘Bach’s Academy’. Why not ‘Marthand’s? “We never wanted to put our family name first. It will be Bach, whom I admire the most,” he said.