Australia’s modern Mozart
Anton Koritni wrote his first composition at age 4. He is a pianist, singer, composer, music and poetry historian, actor graphic artist and teacher…writes Alan Slade.
In his performance at the Bondi Surf Club’s Blue Room on Sunday night, Anton Koritni held the audience spellbound with his presentation of 18th 19th and 20th century poets’ works set to music he composed.
Korinti displayed his amazing combination of talents in his two-hour concert in which he told of the inspirations for the poetry chosen for the performance.
Some of the poems were transformed in to songs, others simply to music.
Koritni played the piano, with an electronic background as well as a live percussionist and, in two of the arrangements, a clarinetist. The performance was further enhanced with images on a large screen, sometimes of Koritni’s hands projected from an overhead camera and other times with images of Blake’s paintings or other images relative to the piece.
Inspiration for the concert was provided by famous poets including Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Blake, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Arthur Rimbaud and Robert Frost.
Anton Koritni composed the music, created and recorded the electronic accompaniment and did the arrangements.
He demonstrated his technical skills with seemingly effortless negotiation of difficult arpeggios and complex cross-handed keyboard technique, creating exceptionally tuneful and emotional musical renditions of the emotions of the poetry which inspired the music.
Anton Koritni deserves to be recognised as one of Australia’s great musical talents. Expect to hear and see much more of him and his work.
Review of Anton Koritni “Poetry on Piano” Blue Room, Bondi Surf Club September 23
