Pianist Ketevan Sharumashvili plays the Otello Fantaisie Brillante opus 33 by Joseph Sickman Corsen. A fantasy based on the opera Otello by Verdi. Verdi’s opera Otello was premiered on 5 February 1887 in Milan, and Corsen published his inspired piano fantasy within a year in January 1888. This reveals just how well Corsen was informed about important new cultural events in Europe. It also shows that he must have immediately realized that Otello would become a musical highlight in Verdi’s oeuvre.
Joseph Sickman Corsen (Curaçao, 1853 - 1911), both poet and musician, grew up in a family where music and literature were part of daily life. Corsen received his education in music from his father Daniel Corsen (1827-1899) and his uncle Chris Ulder (1843-1895). ‘Shon Jo’, as his friends called him, gave his first piano recital when he was just thirteen years old. He also filled roles as a conductor, bandmaster and as an organist in the Jewish synagogue Emanu-El. Corsen was one of the founders and editor of the influential periodical Notas y Letras (Notes and Letters). This periodical was published on Curaçao between 1886-1888, with numerous subscribers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Corsen was also the first to write a poem, Atardi, in the Papiamento language that is spoken in Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. Jacobo Palm (1887-1982) later set this poem to music. Apart from being a gifted poet, Corsen may also be considered as one of Curaçao’s greatest piano virtuosos and talented composers.
This video was recorded by Ati Palm, during a concert in the Fort Church in Willemstad Curaçao. The concert took place on 9th of June 2023 and was organized by the Palm Music Foundation and the Curaçao Art Circle.
Links:
www.palmmusicfoundation.com
www.curacaoartcircle.com
www.ketisharu.com/