Since age 11, Andrew von Oeyen, has channeled Mozart and the “A Major Piano Concerto,” honing it to sublime perfection at Monday’s concert, evoking three standing ovations. Even the musicians joined in the applause, obviously as mesmerized by the phenomenal dual accomplishment of soloist/conductor as the enraptured sell-out audience.
Von Oeyen conducted without a score. A nuance of head, eyes or smile inspiring strings and winds of the 25-member Spoleto Festival Orchestra ensemble; subtle changes of mood, dynamics, rhythm mirrored in their faces, by turn beaming or intense. The result was magical, a synergy of listening and playing. Everyone, musicians and audience alike, seemed to hang on each soulful note as if it were being composed or re-composed on the spot…It was indeed a memorable concert, one of those breathtaking experiences that one always remembers and is grateful for the privilege of having attended.