axime Zecchini visited Pakistan and held a number of concerts in various cities of the country.

Such concerts and visits by artistes have been on the decline for many years. It was quite usual once for the Alliances Francaise and Goethe Institut to host concerts by artistes, who were, so to say, not mainstream but played the instruments that are familiar and not with digitally packed sounds. The American Centre and the British Council brightened up the cultural scene with concerts, plays and film shows that brought together the artistes and art lovers. However, now the scene is much more low keyed and such visits are very rare. So, it was a welcome visit and a reminder of the times when this was a more routine affair.

Born in Paris, Maxime Zecchini graduated with honours from the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris and the Imola Academy in Italy. Composer since early childhood, he has written numerous transcriptions. His original works have been published at the Editions Durand-Salabert-Universal Music. He has performed in numerous musical events and festivals in more than 60 countries, including the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York in May 2022.

The list of his performances is long and impressive. It includes la Seine Musicale, Salle Gaveau, Châtelet Theatre, the Beijing Opera, Shanghai Opera, Tchaïkovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Kiev Philharmonie, with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Pasdeloup Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannesburg Orchestra Philharmonic, Cuenca Orchestra Philharmonic and Nizhny-Novgorod Orchestra Philharmonic.

It appeared from the brief circulated at the concert that a specialty of Maxime Zecchini was that he had facility to play with either hand. Piano is typically played with both hands as most players use all ten fingers to traverse the musical space. It is rare therefore to achieve equal facility by either hand. For most players, the left hand emphasises the rhythmic base and the right hand plays the melody. Achieving both using a single hand is not a mean feat.

During his first tour to Pakistan, Maxime Zecchini performed various works of classical and modern music, including film music and other surprises.

At the concert the pianist gave a good display of this virtuosity when he demonstrated playing exclusively with his left hand. If one is a right handed, then playing with just the left hand, which is not one’s strong hand requires a lot of practice and patience. It was obvious that many in the audiences were not able to tell the difference. It goes to the credit of the high level of expertise that the pianist had acquired over years of his professional life. In many cases, such expertise, when acquired painstakingly, does become showmanship, only a demonstration, and thus gimmickry. It is rare for the quality of music not suffer and the focus not to shifted to mere display of craftsmanship.

Zecchini’s discography includes the world’s first anthology of piano works for the left hand in 10 volumes (piano solo, chamber music and concertos), under the label Advitam Records, for which he has received multiple awards.

During his first tour of Pakistan, Maxime Zecchini performed various works of classical and modern music, including film music and other surprises, for both left hand and two hands.

It is hoped that such visits are not a one-time affair and that they become more regular. The exposure to the international cultural scene is much more today than ever before. The easy access and availability of digital means of communications has brought everything within reach. But a live performance has a charm all its own and should never be relegated to a once-in-a-while affair. The embassy that was also involved and instrumental in making this possible should be thanked and lauded for the favour.

The writer is a culture critic based in Lahore