By: Erwin Dreessen
As the first stop on their Canadian tour, cellists Bryan Cheng and Leonard Disselhorst opened Chamberfest’s Concert Series at the Carleton Dominion-Chambers Centre on Sept. 25. The two met in Berlin as fellow music students and developed a friendship playing sports, but they began life as CelloFellos in 2022.
Ottawa-born Bryan Cheng has often been seen on this and other stages in Ottawa, solo or with his sister, Silvie, as the Cheng 2 Duo. It was Disselhorst’s first visit to Canada. The audience of about 500 seemed very appreciative of this new configuration. The concert lasted just over an hour.
One of the most interesting pieces they played was a composition by Leonard that combined Chinese folk music with Beethoven’s Ode to Freedom from the 9th Symphony. It was commissioned for the 80th anniversary of a Chinese-German cultural exchange. Leonard explained that his choice did not make everybody happy!
Best of all was their final piece: An exciting medley based on Balkan folk themes. This really showed what two virtuosic cellists can do. Still, I felt there is only so much you can do with two cellos, and I was left wanting a bit more.
The duo’s next stops are in Halifax, Toronto and Sault Ste Marie.
To learn more about the Chamberfest Concert Series, check out their website.
Erwin Dreessen writes on Substack, where he often annotates ‘classical’ musical events.
