JONATHAN OSHRY - REFERENCES

Mobile Telephone Networks (Pty) Ltd
Office of the Group Executive:
Corporate Relations

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

For the past five years I have followed with interest and admiration the growth and maturation of Jonathan Oshry's career as a concert pianist. Particularly memorable during that period were his brilliant performances of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto and his competitive triumphs with the works of Chopin, Liszt and Ravel. His obvious talent, combined with the modesty and charm of his stage personality, led MTN to engage him at short notice at the beginning of August to take over an engagement postponed by leading American violinist, Joshua Bell.

The brief offered to Jonathan was exceptionally demanding in several respects. First, he had intended coming to South Africa for a vacation and MTN's series of three concerts in three different cities had been scheduled to take place exactly three weeks after his arrival. Secondly, for purposes of popular appeal and commercial viability, the programme MTN required of him to play comprised a selection of extremely challenging pieces, only half of which featured in his existing repertoire. Thirdly, the contract included a recording session of the programme for the release of a compact disc.

What impressed MTN was not only Jonathan's mature, no-nonsense willingness to learn and play from memory in the space of three weeks, complex works not in his standard repertoire, but his readiness to undertake a punishing schedule of playing them in three different cities in the space of 7 days which included the studio recording at the SABC of a 74-minute compact disc.

Jonathan's exceptional intellectual abilities, self-discipline, industry and musicality were clearly evident from his ability to deliver what he had undertaken. While piano recitals in South Africa currently attract audiences of no more than two hundred, Jonathan played to houses of 780 in Johannesburg, 480 in Stellenbosch and 680 in Pretoria. Wonderful as this exposure may have been for MTN, it placed unusual pressure on the young pianist, who acquitted himself so well of the challenge that he was not only required to complement a long programme with encores at all the venues, but received two standing ovations from a discerning audience in Stellenbosch where many of those present were attached to the Conservatoire of Music in a professional or student capacity.

When it came to recording the 74-minute programme, Jonathan undertook to complete in one day a programme for which any other pianist would have required at least three days. In doing so he demonstrated not only immense powers of intellect and concentration, but extraordinary physical reserves, self-discipline and a capacity to exceed the norms of human endurance and delivery. He followed this up with a diligent analysis of the recorded works and played a major role in editing them to the standards of perfection befitting a pianist of his calibre.

MTN has been most impressed with Jonathan's gift of intellect, his rich resources of natural talent and his ability to blend these through commitment, goal orientation and hard work into a formidable catalogue of versatilities.

Jonathan's personality traits reflect ingenuousness, warmth, charm and integrity. He is extremely modest about his musical talents and readily endears himself to audiences with a demeanour that is non-theatrical and essentially modest. Off the stage he relates extremely well among his peer group and is eminently comfortable interacting with people many years his senior.

MTN is delighted to have met Jonathan. We feel privileged to have been able to engage him and are richly rewarded by the way in which he responded to the terms of his contract with us. He was a fitting replacement for Joshua Bell and has captivated the hearts and minds of many South Africans.

JACQUES SELLSCHOP
GROUP EXECUTIVE: CORPORATE RELATIONS

2000 September 07

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