Lucas Parklands 2022 concert series: Sam Lucas and Berta Brozgul

World-ranked cellist Sam Lucas and South African pianist Berta Brozgul, gelled magically to bring overwhelming success to the first Lucas Parklands classical concert series for 2022.

Despite meeting for the first-time last month, the young artists worked together flawlessly, visibly enjoying each other’s mastery, musicality, and energy, each deeply respectful of the other, to the absolute pleasure of the Lucas Parklands patrons.

“The moment I started playing with Sam, we just hit it off immediately, and it’s become one of my new all-time favourite concert halls to play in,” Ms Brozgul said after their recent concerts together.

“We’re both very committed to what we are doing but it’s obviously great fun to get away from solo performing and get together, and I think we challenge each other, we just really enjoy playing together.”

The sentiments were echoed by Sam Lucas: “It’s not always the case when you come across another player that everything just clicks immediately.

“‘Music is a language all of its own’ and, if we interpret the music the same way, we understand each other immediately, and I think that was the case, so playing with Berta has been a great honour.”

The latest concerts come after a whirlwind early season that was disrupted in late February by the biggest rain and flooding event of more than a decade, causing many patrons to be unable to attend. To ensure the series was a success, promotor and Lucas Parklands co-owner Ian Lucas rescheduled the concerts and flew Berta, who is Melbourne-based, back to the Sunshine Coast so all music lovers would not miss out.

“Lucas Parklands was always intended to help the young, and we are returning to our original vision,” Ian Lucas said.

“I always wanted to provide somewhere special to play, where their talent will be truly appreciated, to the young high-achieving musicians who spend much of their youth alone, in practice rooms.

“It’s a real buzz to see these musicians come here, perform, and really enjoy the atmosphere and feel the encouragement of the appreciative audience.”

Performers at Lucas Parklands over recent weeks have included Sam and Berta, along with South African-born pianist Peter de Jager, Hungarian-born cellist Gyuri Deri, violinist Yena Choi and local Glasshouse cellist Renat Yusukov.

The repertoires over the concerts included piano trios, duets, and other exciting pieces, including Brahms Piano Trio No 1, movement 1; Dvorak Dumke Piano trio movements 5 and 6; and movement 3 from the Arensky Piano trio No 1. Together Sam and Berta performed the Grieg cello sonata and the seldom performed show piece Figaro by Tedesco.

Regular performers at Lucas Parklands also include famed pianist Piers Lane, who is returning in 2022, Russian-born pianist Konstantin Shamray and world-class soprano Alexandra Flood.

For Sam, the concert series has provided vital preparation for the finals of the Queen Elisabeth International Cello Competition, the biggest competition of its kind in the world this year, to be held in Brussels in May and June.

Sam is the only cellist from the Southern Hemisphere, to be invited into the event, which is open to the world’s 50 leading cellists aged under 32, selected from 350-plus applicants.

The Lucas Parklands performance auditorium seats a maximum 150 – less with covid spacing in place – so audience members have the unique pleasure of sitting just metres away from world-class performers at the top of their game. It is physically unique in that it is nestled among natural undisturbed rainforest at Montville, on the Sunshine Coast. It is peaceful, and often the local birdlife fly into nearby trees to sit and listen to the beautiful music.

“It’s a perfect balance of everything,” Berta said of the Lucas Parklands performances.

“I feel like I’m a part of the family, and I also get to perform really long and amazing concerts and I love the combination of duo and solos as well.

“It’s also a bonus to wake up to the sounds of nature and smelling the lovely fragrant air, the rainforest, I just feel great here.

“I do love coming to Queensland, it’s a great chance to get away from Melbourne, meet new friends, new connections, new audiences and visit such a wonderful place.

“It’s so great to have such a venue in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It’s a wonderful thing for the Sunshine Coast and for Queensland.”

• For enquiries about future performances at Lucas Parklands and ticketing, phone 07 54785667 or 0409623228.

Rosemary Copeland, Sam Lucas and Jillian Crick. The two ladies attended Sam's first ever cello concert when he was 12 and were on hand to watch him and outstanding pianist South African-born pianist Berta Brozgul at their Lucas Parklands concert series.

Sam Lucas' first music theory teacher Naomi Craddock and Sam's first cello teacher Anne Bowyer caught up with Sam at the concert series.

Berta Brozgul and world-class cellist Sam Lucas at Lucas Parklands, Montville.