For his 20th performance at Lucas Parklands, Russian-Australian concert pianist Konstantin Shamray returned to the venue where he has played more times than anywhere else, delivering a programme that demonstrated why he has become such a fixture of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland’s cultural life. “This place, called Lucas Parklands… I have played here about 20 times, and I have changed with the place!”
The milestone appearance underscored the pianist’s deep connection with venue founder Ian Lucas and the Hinterland community. Ian said “I met (Konstantin) around 2008 and we’ve been good friends ever since. Nobody can get sound out of a piano like Konstantin.”
A Programme of Transcriptions and Evolution
The concert opened with Rachmaninoff’s transcription of Bach’s Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, the Prelude, Gavotte, and Gigue. The Prelude featured continuous motion with rapid runs and trills that evoked the sound of bells or distant peals, with layered voices converging at key moments. The Gavotte offered graceful dance rhythms, whilst the Gigue concluded with ‘fleet-fingered’ virtuosity, driving to a triumphant close resulting in spontaneous applause.
The choice to open with a piano transcription of Bach creates an interesting parallel with the recent concert by New Zealand pianist Madeleine Xiao at Lucas Parklands in November. Her programme featured the Bach-Busoni Chaconne. Piano transcriptions of Bach have been a tradition for generations, with different composers bringing their own approaches, Busoni’s grand Romantic vision contrasting with Rachmaninoff’s more transparent style.
These Bach transcriptions reflect Rachmaninoff’s characteristic approach to the piano – rich, resonant sonorities and layered textures that showcase the instrument’s capacity for orchestral color.
Tracing the Evolution of the Etude
The first half continued with what Konstantin described as “all about the small pieces, small genres”, a selection of etudes by Chopin, Debussy, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff. “I’m going to show the transformation of the genre of etudes on the piano,” he told the audience. The programme included six Chopin etudes spanning both the virtuosic Op. 10 set and the more intimate Trois Nouvelles Etudes. The lyrical “Tristesse” (Op. 10 No. 3) opened the selection, followed by the explosive Op. 10 No. 4 in C-sharp minor, a torrent of semiquavers in both hands where Konstantin maintained the clarity of the underlying melody amid the rapid figurations. The selection demonstrated why these works are considered revolutionary.
Konstantin explained, “…that in Debussy’s pianistic features, there’s a lot of Chopin.” The three Debussy etudes showcased the impressionistic evolution of the etude form: “Embellishments,” “Complicated Arpeggios,” and “Five Fingers” (the latter dedicated humorously to “Czerny”).
“It starts as somebody practising five fingers, which is Czerny’s first etude of 299 (School of Velocity)…” Konstantin noted, drawing laughter from the audience. Despite its playful premise, the “Five Fingers” etude demands relentless evenness, precise hand alternation, and dynamic control.
The Russian composers Scriabin and Rachmaninoff completed the etude sequence. Konstantin highlighted how the program traced two interconnected traditions: Chopin, Debussy and Scriabin all spent significant time in Paris and absorbed French influences, while Scriabin and Rachmaninoff represent the distinctly Russian school. The two Rachmaninoff Etudes-Tableaux held particular significance for his current work.
“Those two etudes by Rachmaninoff have bells…” he said. “It’s something I’ve just recorded… for ABC Classics. The album will be called Bells Across Europe.” It’s a subject Shamray knows intimately, having devoted his 2020 PhD thesis to bell-inspired piano music across European traditions, exploring both the technical demands and interpretive nuances of recreating these sounds at the keyboard.
The Second Half: Transcendent Works
After the interval, Konstantin turned to two substantial works that formed the programme’s emotional and technical peaks. He began with Franz Liszt’s transcription of the final scene from Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde, Isolde’s Liebestod.
“I think it’s one of the most significant piano transcriptions in the whole repertoire,” Konstantin said. “It’s Isolde, when she’s dying in love.”
The work condenses the opera’s climactic transfiguration into what has been described as a “symphonic poem for soloist.” Liszt layers Wagner’s leitmotifs in a chromatic yearning that builds to an ecstatic resolution. For Konstantin, whose playing is known for creating orchestral depth and resonance at the keyboard, the transcription allowed him to explore the piano’s capacity for massive sound and sustained harmonics that ring like distant bells.
The concert concluded with César Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and Fugue, another work that connects to his scholarly interests. “It’s quite a colossal musical piece…” he noted, adding that “it’s another piece which has bells in it.”
When asked before the concert which piece he was most excited to share, Konstantin nominated the Franck: “I just recorded it for ABC Classics.”
The 20-minute work unfolds in three connected movements: a misty prelude, a hymn-like chorale, and a fugue of spiralling intensity resolving in a radiant B major. Originally conceived for organ but recast for piano, it demands “orchestral piano power” whilst maintaining intimate expressivity, qualities well-suited to Lucas Parklands’ acoustics.
Programming Philosophy
Konstantin’s approach to programming reflects his commitment to presenting substantial works regardless of venue. When asked how he programmes for Lucas Parklands versus larger concert halls, he was unequivocal.
“For me, artistic choice is always prevalent. I wouldn’t play just so-called ‘public pleasers’ just because it is not a large concert hall. I find it quite disrespectful towards the audience,” he said.
“Instead, I want to try and make a program interesting for the listeners, and it might of course include some easier works for the ears alongside harder ones.” He cited his previous performance of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata at Lucas Parklands, one of the most demanding works in the piano repertoire, as an example of his refusal to compromise artistic standards. “It’s Beethoven’s longest piece, it’s his most difficult piece and it’s right up Konstantin’s alley because he is a very powerful pianist with a big physical presence, and he loves a big challenge,” Ian Lucas said at the time.
For this December programme, Konstantin explained his selection process: “I wanted to mix smaller and larger works. Also, some very new and some older things in my repertoire. One work I played across my very first Australian tour in 2008. I let you guess which one…” he said mysteriously.
That work, Wagner’s-Liszt Lieberstod, connected his current appearance to his first visits 17 years ago, soon after he won First Prize at the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition. He was the first pianist in the competition’s history to win both the First Prize and the People’s Choice Award.
A Christmas Encore
Konstantin concluded the afternoon with a brief encore appropriate to the season. “Soon Christmas is coming,” he told the audience. “We have one short encore, which is by Franz Liszt. He has this album… called Christmas Tree.”
The piece, titled Carillon (Glockenspiel), is the sixth in Liszt’s 12-piece suite Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree), composed for piano around 1873-1881. “So, I wish you a Merry Christmas upcoming…” he concluded.
The performance drew enthusiastic applause from the audience, with a standing ovation marking the significance of this milestone 20th appearance at the venue.
A Distinguished Career
Konstantin trained in Moscow before continuing advanced studies in Germany. Since migrating to Australia, he has combined an active concert career with academic work, now serving as a Senior Lecturer in Piano at the University of Melbourne.
He performs regularly with major Australian orchestras including the Queensland, West Australian, and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, as well as leading international ensembles. Critics describe him as an “exhilarating” pianist with faultless technique.
Beyond solo work, He collaborates in chamber music with ensembles such as the Australian String Quartet and Australian Piano Quartet. His recurring visits to Lucas Parklands have made him a favourite with Sunshine Coast audiences.
The Lucas Parklands Connection
When asked what he enjoys about playing for the Lucas Parklands community, Konstantin’s response was simple: “Warmth and enthusiasm. I genuinely love coming and playing here!”
That warmth was evident throughout the afternoon, with the audience listening attentively through a programme that ranged from the intimate voice-leading of Bach through the explosive virtuosity of the etudes to the transcendent power of the Liszt and Franck.
For advice to audience members less familiar with classical piano repertoire, he offered this guidance: “Music is all about sound. Maybe first is to just listen to different sounds and colours and get familiarised with different styles. The programme is very diversified, and I think it would be easy for anyone to pick those differences.”
As 2025 draws to a close, Konstantin’s 20th performance at Lucas Parklands stands as testament both to his artistry and to the venue’s role in bringing world-class music to the Hinterland. The concert joined a distinguished year at Lucas Parklands that has included performances by rising young talents like Madeleine Xiao and Lana Ritchie, and performers such as the violinist Amalia Hall, cellist Sam Lucas, pianists Berta Brozgul, Daniel Le and Piers Lane.
For those interested in attending future concerts at Lucas Parklands, the venue continues to present both international artists and emerging talents in its intimate rainforest setting at Montville. For performance and ticketing enquiries, see their website.
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