Have you met any famous pianists?

[cherub_rocker1979]

I've met Andre Watts

[hlconceiro]

I've met Maurizio Pollini and Ewa Kupiek (She isn't as famous as he)
I also met Alfredo Kraus, a famous singer (but he's now death)

Héctor

[BoliverAllmon]

Walter Hautsig is all for me.

[pabst]

Oh I shook hands with Argerich, Freire and Ortiz on the backstage! Neat 

[gorbee natcase]

I dont know if this counts but my grandad met Rachmaninov after a concert, and shook his hand

[chopintod]

I've met...me.

Just joking. 

[stevie]

marc-andre hamelin and paul lewis(brendel's protige).

those are the most famous...so far.

[rob47]

my teacher was famous. mildly. da mart met da whale. 

[maxy]

Hamelin, Lortie, Zimerman, Bronfman, Brendel, Hewitt (her former teacher forced me too meet her), Fleisher.

in most cases, not much was said: "hello" "goodbye"... 

[mrchops10]

I've met a few famous pianists, but the one that really got me is when I met Rostropovich at breakfast. He's not a pianist, but I was speechless!

[jeremyjchilds]

Anton Keurti

[BoliverAllmon]

I think I need to move. No one comes around here. how do you guys get backstage anyways.

[stevie]

I think I need to move. No one comes around here. how do you guys get backstage anyways.

flashing some cleavage always helps, but anyway, its the type of hall there is around here, hamelin was just hanging around next to the exit...so i just randomly went up to him and talked to him.

[BoliverAllmon]

flashing some cleavage always helps, but anyway, its the type of hall there is around here, hamelin was just hanging around next to the exit...so i just randomly went up to him and talked to him.

cleavage? HHHMMMM....... pocorina? LOL They need to come to my area first to meet them.

[Dazzer]

i got an autography from David Helfgott. one of two people who waited for him to emerge from the backstage. hehe got a kiss for it too.

[ramseytheii]

Once not long ago I saw marc-Andre Hamelin in recital in Munich (at the Herkulesaal) and afterwards was invited by a friend to attend dinner with him and the various sponsors of the recital series.  We all spoke mainly in English, except when one of the sponsors said, "Mr Hamelin, do you believe that the Asians are taking over the world of classical music?"  it was said in a very pejorative, and to me shocking,  way.  Immediately an eccentric composer and friend of Hamelin's who was also present started ripping into this wealthy racist, pointing out that these days, the "Germans" take music for granted, while other cultures are actually contributing.  Hamelin seemed satisfied in a mischievous way with the response.

Walter Ramsey

[allthumbs]

Eubie Blake, Toronto 1973


https://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/magic/saloon/blake.html

[gkatele]

Claude Frank

[Bouter Boogie]

Evgeny Kissin.

- BB

[Derek]

I met Bob Seeley on sunday, who is arguably the last great american boogie woogie pianist (of the old school, anyway). He was a personal friend of Meade-Lux Lewis. He's a boogie woogie virtuoso...its very physically technical music, especially when he plays the walking bass at breakneck speed etc. I love the stuff. My dad was invited to duet with him during the show! That was awesome. I'm gonna see Keith Jarrett a couple weeks from now, too! Though I dunno if I'll get the opportunity to "meet" him. Bob Seeley was a really down to earth guy.

[BoliverAllmon]

Evgeny Kissin.

- BB

does he really talk that slowly

[stevie]

does he really talk that slowly

maybe he does but it is never..................................talking slowly.........................for the thake...............................of............................................................. ................................................................................................... ...........................................talking slowly

[mikey6]

Boris Berman (was really nice - good teacher to), and Piers Lane (same)

[sonatainfsharp]

In college, I was the driver for Anthony DeMare. I had to drag him about a 1/4-mile through the FRESHMEN DORMS out to my TWENTY YEAR OLD car to give him a ride.

I had to pick him up, too, for his concert later that evening. The concert started at 8pm and he wanted me to pick him up at 7:45 so that he would walk in from the car right to the stage and play. It was odd but that was the way he operated. So, I got to his hotel at 7:30 but he didn't come out until 7:45, we got back to campus at 8:01 and he literally walked from my car to the piano on stage and started playing as though he was waiting in the green room all afternoon.

[sharon_f]

Rudolph Serkin, some 30 odd years ago.

I was living in Philadelphia a few blocks away from Curtis. I was always seeing him on the streets or walking through Rittenhouse Square. One day I went up to him and introduced myself and told him how much I enjoyed his playing. I remember I told him I had heard him play the Beethoven 4th and how amazing the performance was and that I had a record of him playing the Mendelssohn G minor which I loved. He was extremely gracious and he mentioned how much he liked the Mendelssohn.

I saw him many times after that and he always acknowledged me with a smile.

[Appenato]

last weekend, met Vassily Primakov. AWESOME pianist, extremely talented. cute too.

- Olga Kern

- Terrance Wilson

- David Lanz

a few other composers/pianists

[allthumbs]

Greetings

Rudolph Serkin, some 30 odd years ago.

I was living in Philadelphia a few blocks away from Curtis. I was always seeing him on the streets or walking through Rittenhouse Square. One day I went up to him and introduced myself and told him how much I enjoyed his playing. I remember I told him I had heard him play the Beethoven 4th and how amazing the performance was and that I had a record of him playing the Mendelssohn G minor which I loved. He was extremely gracious and he mentioned how much he liked the Mendelssohn.

I saw him many times after that and he always acknowledged me with a smile.

Isn't that the quintessential way for someone famous to treat someone who admires what he or she does?

I think that the truly remarkable "star" will take the time to acknowledge the adoration of fans with humility and graciousness.


My opinion

Cheers

allthumbs

[bernhard]

does he really talk that slowly

This is actually an interesting question. Is it because he is speaking in English? Or does he speak at the same rate in Russian? Has anyone heard him in Russian?

[stevie]

but when speaking.......russian....one should never do so........for the THAKE....
........of thpeaking..............russian.

[paris]

maybe he does but it is never..................................talking slowly.........................for the thake...............................of............................................................. ................................................................................................... ...........................................talking slowly

LOL

i've met Ivo Pogorelić

[ramseytheii]

This is actually an interesting question. Is it because he is speaking in English? Or does he speak at the same rate in Russian? Has anyone heard him in Russian?

I wonder if that is his 'public' voice.  I stayed once with an old friend in Germany, who often boards Boris Berezovsky, and once Kissin called looking for Boris.  Nobody was at home, but the voice mail, which was in English and Russian, was perfectly fluent! None of this waiting around business.  Camera shy perhaps?

Another poster mentioned Olga Kern.  I forgot I met her as well, at the after-party of the Cliburn medal ceremony (the year she shared the gold).  She got so toasted ("pissed")!  A representative from Steinway came over to the large table, and probably was sent to warm her up to being offered a deal as a Steinway artist.  He gave her soem nice compliments and a silk Steinway handkerchief, which she tied around her head like a babushka and started giggling uncontrollably.  It was hilarious.  Then she went to the dance floor, and dancing with 80+ year old Claude Frank, started losing one shoulder of her dress strap, and when it started to get really tense - is the dress going to fall down ?! - she fell down, onto the dance floor.  But at least she was having a good time!

Walter Ramsey

[BoliverAllmon]

I wonder if that is his 'public' voice.  I stayed once with an old friend in Germany, who often boards Boris Berezovsky, and once Kissin called looking for Boris.  Nobody was at home, but the voice mail, which was in English and Russian, was perfectly fluent! None of this waiting around business.  Camera shy perhaps?

it may be him just concentrating very hard not to say something stupid. I don't know. It is somewhat odd though.

[randmc]

I met Vladimir Horowitz before he died.....ummmmmm......I don't know if you know him but I met Joseph Rubeir (i think thats the wrong spelling) after a performance of his.

[mig]

I met Cliburn this year and Sandor about 5 years ago. Even got a master-class from Sandor.

[arensky]

Vladimir Horowitz, Martha Argerich, Alicia de Larrocha, McCoy Tyner, Gary Graffman, Boris Berman, Emanuel Ax, Misha Dichter, Dave McKenna, Billy Taylor, Jerome Rose, John Lewis, Dave Brubeck, Bruce Hornsby, John Medeski, Liz Story, Menachem Pressler, John Ogdon, George Cables...

[stevie]

 

HOW?!

[wzkit]

Engaging conversations - Stephen Hough, Tedd Joselson, Konstantin Scherbakov
5 second encounters - Kun Woo Paik, Nikolai Demidenko, Lazar Berman

[palika dunno]

spam

[luiszt]

Hello!

Mr. Kissin is my favorite friend. He doesn't play very well, but he can speak faster than EVGENY Kissin.
But maybe, John Ahmed Kissin isn't very famous. 

Sorry...

[jehangircama]

Boris Berman once loooooooong ago (by my terms, i'm 17). got his autograph