‘Noche Alegre’ van Jacobo Conrad
(artiestennaam van Elias Martinus, 1879-1918) gespeeld door Alwin Toppenberg (Aruba, 1940).
Het spelen van de Curaçaose walsen ‘Noche Alegre’ van Jacobo Conrad, ‘Bo’ n por toké (=Je kunt dit niet spelen) van Jacobo Palm en ‘La Inspiración’ van Rudolf Palm gold voor jong aanstormend pianotalent op de ABC eilanden vaak als een testcase om aan te tonen dat zij al in staat waren om met de nodige flair, virtuositeit en gevoel voor ritme, een Antilliaanse wals uit te voeren.
Alwin Genardo Toppenberg (Aruba, 1940), received his first piano lessons in Aruba from Isberio Faneyte and then from Mrs. Leny Tehuis. Already at the age of twelve, he gave a live broadcast of a piano recital in the studio of ‘Voz di Aruba’, a well-known radio station in Aruba. He was co-initiator and part of the popular combo ‘Los Duques del Caribe’ and accompanied the boys’ choir ‘De Trupialen’, led by Brother Alexius. After Alwin Toppenberg left Aruba for further studies in the Netherlands, he also received piano lessons from Mrs. Leny van Dorp. From 1959 to 1976 he continued with Dolf Daey Ouwens, himself a former student of the famous French pianist Robert Casadesus. With Daey Ouwens, he specialized himself in playing works by European classical composers such as Albeniz, Bach, Beethoven (including the piano concerto Op. 15 no. 1), Brahms, Chopin, Czerny, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Mozart (including the piano concertos K.V. 450 and 488), Paradisi, Rachmaninoff, Scarlatti, Schubert, Schumann and Weber. Toppenberg is also well versed in the repertoire of Antillean composers and has demonstrated this during various performances. Toppenberg received a doctoral degree in chemistry at Leiden University and, in addition to being an enthusiastic pianist and composer, has also been the vice-chairman of the society ‘Genootschap Nederland-Aruba’ for many years. This society is committed to strengthening the ties between the Netherlands and Aruba.
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
