c o n c e r t p i a n i s t
About my project
My name is Kasper Schonewille. In 2018 I graduated with the highest distinction from the Düsseldorf Conservatory under the supervision of Prof. Paolo Giacometti. I am a concert pianist and a passionate pencil artist. This combination brought me to a special story.
This story relates to the composer Felix Mendelssohn. Initially, of course, I was captivated by his beautiful musical repertoire. That repertoire put me on the track to the backgrounds of this master composer. In this search I not only discovered the composer, but also the visual artist Felix Mendelssohn.
During the many trips that Mendelssohn made, he always took his sketchbook with him. He drew everything he encountered and so I ended up with his special trip to the impressively beautiful Scotland in 1829.
This journey can be completely reconstructed based on his drawings. To really get to know Mendelssohn well, I packed my things and left for Scotland with a lot of questions. I wanted to know what inspired him to write a couple of his most important works: the Scottish Symphony and the Hebrides Overture. Why did he want to go to Scotland? What inspired him over there? And what does being a pencil artist mean to a musician?
I have now returned from Scotland and I am preparing for my CD recording in the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This CD includes two piano transcriptions of these monumental orchestral works.
Thanks to all the answers I got during my trip through Scotland, I was inspired to transcribe these orchestral works for piano solo. My concert grand piano will stand right under Mendelssohn's sign in the Concertgebouw soon. That will mean a lot to me. Thanks to this small investigation, I have the feeling that I can call him Felix by now, somebody who is very dear to me. Felix, my good friend.
All my findings and discoveries will be featured in the CD booklet. As well as the drawings made by Mendelssohn and the drawings made by myself.
info@kasperschonewille.nl | 06 3802 6483