Wanted to share an amusing story

[gerry]

I was reading up on Alexander Brailowski and found the following:

During a series of nineteen recitals in Buenos Aires, he never repeated a single work. When he was to appear in Colombia and he appeared before the packed house he was given a big hand and, bowing his acknowledgment, he turned to find there was no piano. This could be a shock to any performer and the situation grew worse as there was no piano available and the recital was called off.

[quantum]

Two other pianists and myself were scheduled to play piano as interludes to a wind band concert.  When I asked where the piano was I was shown a xylophone.

[Bob]

I heard a story about a pianist who didn't check the piano out ahead of time.  He sat down, hit the first chord, and heard nothing.  None of the keys produced sound.  The guts of the piano had been taken out for repairs by the technician.

[michel dvorsky]

This could be a shock to any performer and the situation grew worse as there was no piano available and the recital was called off.

Considering it was a Brailowski recital, the audience should have considered themselves lucky. 

...apologies to any Brailowski fans out there.   

[rachfan]

Arthur Rubinstein had some interesting encounters with pianos.  One time he went out on stage and the piano was there alright.  But when he went to depress the damper pedal, the piano lyre fell off the underside and hit the floor.  On another occasion, he went out on stage to find an upright, but made the best of the situation.  It's always amusing to read accounts like that, but for the artist, I'm sure they're not so funny in the moment.   

[rc]

Air piano?

[gerry]

but for the artist, I'm sure they're not so funny in the moment.   

I feel a little sorry for the artists who can't find the humor (even hilarity) in these moments.

[popdog]

I had a jazz gig once and during out sound check found that the piano was a major third out of tune.  This gave my transposition a real workout until we got a keyboard at the start of the second song.  Was a funny night. 

[shingo]

When Richter was scheduled to play somewhere, during the maintenence etc on the day of the concert the tuner looked at the piano and said it was completely un-playable. Richter then cancelled the concert but the staff didn't pay attention and later there was a sudden announcement that the audience had arrived. Richter had to go out and perfrom, and he said it was one of his best performances of the year.

[quantum]

Once the composers at my uni decided they wanted to hold their term concert in a cozy seminar room usually used for grad colloquiums and such activities.  There is a Steinway with two pedals there.  All was going fine with the solo piano pieces and such until they came to the clarinet + piano piece.  The piano was in tune with itself but 1/4 tone flat than normal.  Made for some interesting music. 

[thierry13]

I have to say I played often on digital pianos ... that includes playing chopin op.10 no.12, mendelssohn's op.28 fantaisie, bowen's toccata and mendelssohn's variations sérieuses, all for audiences. The performances lacked a little something, don't know what 

[richard black]

I heard a story about a pianist who didn't check the piano out ahead of time.  He sat down, hit the first chord, and heard nothing.  None of the keys produced sound.  The guts of the piano had been taken out for repairs by the technician.

That may be apocryphal. If the tech had taken the action out, the keys would have gone too!

I had to accompany a singer in a venue where the piano was an unrestored 1841 Pleyel. All very nice as far as history goes, and plenty appropriate for the mostly 19th century programme, but unfortunately the dear old thing was about a whole tone flat. This made some of the songs unfeasible for the singer so I had to transpose some of them. I don't mind transposing, but some of them were already transposed as they were printed in mezzo keys and the singer was a soprano. This meant I was re-transposing them and, since I have perfect pitch, I was reading one key, playing another and hearing a third. I really felt I had earned my fee at that one.

[wotgoplunk]

Once the composers at my uni decided they wanted to hold their term concert in a cozy seminar room usually used for grad colloquiums and such activities.  There is a Steinway with two pedals there.  All was going fine with the solo piano pieces and such until they came to the clarinet + piano piece.  The piano was in tune with itself but 1/4 tone flat than normal.  Made for some interesting music. 

Surely the clarinettist would've been able to fix that.

If it was a quarter tone flat, he just would've had to make the instrument longer, and it would've been considerably more in tune.

[dnephi]

Never heard of Brailowski

[mephisto]

That may be apocryphal. If the tech had taken the action out, the keys would have gone too!

I had to accompany a singer in a venue where the piano was an unrestored 1841 Pleyel. All very nice as far as history goes, and plenty appropriate for the mostly 19th century programme, but unfortunately the dear old thing was about a whole tone flat. This made some of the songs unfeasible for the singer so I had to transpose some of them. I don't mind transposing, but some of them were already transposed as they were printed in mezzo keys and the singer was a soprano. This meant I was re-transposing them and, since I have perfect pitch, I was reading one key, playing another and hearing a third. I really felt I had earned my fee at that one.

Wow, that's prett amazing!

[richard black]

Surely the clarinettist would've been able to fix that.

If it was a quarter tone flat, he just would've had to make the instrument longer, and it would've been considerably more in tune.

The practical tuning range of a clarinet (any wind instrument, indeed) is way less than a quarter tone. By 'pulling out' as far as possible without the instrument actually falling to bits, and lipping down like mad, a good player could just about keep in tune with a piano that flat but it's really hard work. I know, I've done a gig with a clarinettist under exactly those circumstances myself!

[quantum]

Surely the clarinettist would've been able to fix that.

If it was a quarter tone flat, he just would've had to make the instrument longer, and it would've been considerably more in tune.

The instrument is not made to tune to such drastic conditions.  By pulling joints out so far the clarinet would be out of tune with itself as the relationships of tone holes will be put our of whack.

[Bob]

Just a quarter tone?  25 cents?  I think a clarinet can tune down like that without much problem.  Reed placement and embouchure can affect tuning a lot more than a quarter tone.  A quarter tone is flatter might be less than a quarter of an inch pulling at the barrel.  That's doable.

[longpiaopiao]

that is pretty story.

[pion]

Once I was scheduled to play the Waldstein Sonata for a musical society. Preceding me was a string quartet. When they finished, I was called and after some applause I sat down at the grand piano. The keyboard lid was closed and looked a little unusual. When I opened the lid, to my horror, there appeared a double keyboard, like that on an organ. I started playing, but couldn't concentrate - I kept looking at the keys immediately above the ones I was playing. It made my head spin. It wasn't long before I got completely lost. I apologized, explained that I coldn't play this piano, and left. Very embarrassing..........

[thierry13]

Once I was scheduled to play the Waldstein Sonata for a musical society. Preceding me was a string quartet. When they finished, I was called and after some applause I sat down at the grand piano. The keyboard lid was closed and looked a little unusual. When I opened the lid, to my horror, there appeared a double keyboard, like that on an organ. I started playing, but couldn't concentrate - I kept looking at the keys immediately above the ones I was playing. It made my head spin. It wasn't long before I got completely lost. I apologized, explained that I coldn't play this piano, and left. Very embarrassing..........

OMFG! What the hell was that piano? Did you actually discover what it was lol? Did it sound good if you could forget the other keyboard?

[pion]

OMFG! What the hell was that piano? Did you actually discover what it was lol? Did it sound good if you could forget the other keyboard?

I don't recall what make of piano it was, but it sounded very good, exactly like a good normal grand. I've never seen one since, although I did spot one in a DVD documentary of Khachaturian (directed by Peter Rosen). I also just googled and found two interesting links: http://www.hurstwoodfarmpianos.co.uk/news.php?news_id=14 and a video: http://video.on.nytimes.com/index.jsp?fr_story=51447a22df4808817b10c4ec7f31af913673f701