Piano Extravaganza

Head of Keyboards, Mrs C A Palmer, reflects on Sunday's Keyboards Concert which included duets, a six-handed ensemble, a harpsichord piece, jazz and an ambitious work for eight hands.   

It can be lonely being a pianist. Conversational skills revolve around Rach.1 or Tchaik.2 or the fingering for bar 1,720 in the “Hammerklavier”.  Mums (or adoring fans) iron their shirts and polish the pedals for them. They soak their fingers in turpentine (so that the glissandi in “Feux d’Artifice” don’t make them bleed) and they only eat green lentils and rice cakes.  Their minds are continually on Higher Things. Fun is not for them.

But here in Repton, we have reversed this. There were 10 or so pianists in the same room and no-one spoke about dampers, voicings or Eb minor in double thirds. We have fine musicians and lovely pianos and the combination of the two has given all of us tremendous pleasure.

It has, of course, been educational. It took quite some time to solve the question of how to fit Messer’s McClary, Dahl and Sanderson on the same piano. (No piano stools were harmed in the rehearsing of this item.) Exercise took place daily as a half-ton Bechstein and a ton-and-a half Steinway were merrily wheeled round the room like supermarket trolleys. Diplomatic skills were honed as perfectly normal people were caught in dog-fights as to who was going to have custody of the pedal, and who took up most room on the stool…..and why….

All of it has been worth while. The repertoire, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Bach, Benny Goodman, Mozart, Chopin et al is stunning. It’s also very ambitious but the performances justified the risk. An excellent concert, professionally handled by excellent pianists (and an excellent harpsichord player).