Cheng²Duo wows Lester Centre crowd

A talented sibling duo delighted their audience in the Lester Centre of the Arts on Jan. 18.

The Cheng²Duo — made up of Silvie and Bryan Cheng — gave a virtuoso performance of piano and cello music that was both beautiful artistically and inspiring technically. It was the third stop of the pair’s tour through northwest B.C. that will also take them to Kitimat, Terrace, Smithers, Burns Lake and other cities over the next four weeks.

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“The best musical performances are a conversation between the artists and the audience,” said Lester Centre manager Michael Gurney. “Tonight was an example of a deep and meaningful conversation between two supremely gifted siblings and a passionate audience.”

That passion was apparent from the beginning of the duo’s performance, which featured Bryan playing the cello and Sylvie playing the piano. The pair played classical pieces by composers such as Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc, Robert Schumann and Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Both said that playing for the Prince Rupert audience was a pleasure.

“There’s something energizing about playing because you’re finding these feelings within you that you don’t normally experience … there’s something about music that unearths these feelings,” said Silvie following the performance. “So then to share the music with people who can explore their own feelings is wonderful.”

After completing their main programme, the Cheng’s were eagerly welcomed back to the stage for an encore, which was a rousing, energetic flamenco piece called “Polo” by Manuel de Falla.

Following their performance, the Cheng’s mingled with the audience.

“We went to concerts of artists that we admire and we went to take pictures with them and sign CDs and we have very fond memories of that so to be able to pass that along, it means a lot to us,” Bryan said.

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