Strange Recital Stories

[mikebechstein]

I recently agreed to do a  recital in a church hall before I had had a chance to inspect the piano. When rehearsing I started to regret my commitment as the instrument was in a shocking state. (I had opened the top before I agreed and seen that it was a Bechstein (upright) and so presumed it would be adequate at worst.) Some of the dampers did not work very well and some not at all. I had to put bits of tape inside to stop some bits of wood and metal hitting each other and the whole action was shot away. Worst of all though was that the hammers, original (1880ish) fittings, were so imbedded that each note was muffled. I had to take all the removable panels off the front, sit so that there was a good wall behind me to reflect the sound and hammer as hard as I physically could in the loud passages just to be heard in the back of the hall. I had intended to play a medley from the Grieg Piano Concerto but the top A did not work at all and the bottom A just gave a loud “thunk” so that ruled that out! I did the recital three nights in a row, and as the piano, which had hardly been used in 20 years, got warmed up and played in again it actually started producing that wonderful singing tone only found on old pianos (in between the strange clangs and thunks.)

It reminded me of the stories I sometimes read of recitals gone wrong or strange things happening during recitals, such as a dog wandering on stage during a recital Stephen Kovacevich was giving in a small Italian town years ago. Apparently it wandered on and lay down underneath the piano. It was followed by a young girl who leaned against the piano for the rest of the recital and then promptly collected the dog and left at the end.

I wondered if anybody else wanted to write about amusing or strange recitals that they had been to or read about.

[krenske]

yes they do, mr bechstein..
many funny stories. i recounted a while back on this forum how i was page turning for a pianist accompanying a norwegian girl playing violin. during the rehearsal, there was one particular line that this pianist couldn't play, and each time we came to it, both of us had a bit of a giggle beacuse of his poor playing.
in any case, right at the end of this line was a low A played by the right hand, followed by a page-turn....
in any case, the time for the concert came, and i suggested that since this pianist was going to play badly anyway, that we all go for beer before the concert, which we did.
midway through the concert, the particular line came, and both pianist and myself were bracing ourselves for the wrong notes that would surely issue forth. they came as expected.. or perhaps even worse than expected, owing to the beers we had consumed. both of us were on the verge of breaking into merry laughter.
it was then that the really funny thing happenned.
in aiming for the low a, with his right hand, and with me coming in to turn the page, his left hand contacted with my private parts. we both burst out into raucous laughter, and he missed the first line of the next page.
the fiddle player however, did pass her concert/exam, for a Masters degree, and went back to Norway, where she now has a kid or two, and hasn't exactly emailed either of us ever since.
>>> last time i recounted this story, i got streams of abuse from pianostreeters telling me im irresponsible, blah blah blah....
so unless you see the humour in this story... please don't bother writing......... ive heard it all before, and couldn't give a stuff.

[quantum]

I was to play a chamber piece at my friends 4th year flute recital.  I only had one piece, and there was an accompanist for the rest, so I turned pages for her the rest of the recital.  Once piece was in a book that was quite thin an light.  As I went to make a page turn the page stuck, so I gripped it a bit more.  That ended up lifting the book off the music rack and I actually dropped the book on her hands as she was playing      She played as though nothing happend. 

Backstage I appologised, but she actually had a chuckle about it and thought it was quite funny.  She told me not to worry, and stranger things happen in concerts. 

[lostinidlewonder]

I played a concert in a 5 star hotel in Turkey and it was the most bizzare concert. I was stranded at the hotel with my mother, aunty and uncle (who live in Turkey) and only about 30 other hotel guests and staff because there was flash flooding which blocked off all access to get out! We where stuck there for 1 week, no complaints, it was fanstasic food and living. I remember bored one day I walked around the hotel and found an old upright in the corner ( I wondered why such a classy hotel didnt even have a grand!). I sat on it and played very gently (so not to draw attention).

One of the hotel staff heard me play and told me I should go ask the manager if I could do a concert tonight for the guests and staff (who where getting really bored because there was nothing to do.) So I did and it happened that night. It was very amusing, I totally destroyed the piano at the end however. Three strings broke, so there where three notes which only played with one string (that made a very strange sound, and the string rattling inside). Two hammers completely broke and when I played those notes nothing came out. The sustain pedal would now and then fall off and become unresponsive so I would have to play finger legato in passages where you otherwise simply would use the pedal. The audience found it amusing usually at the end of each piece I have to get on my hands and knees and re attach the pedal. I got a bottle of wine for my achievement!


I remember attending a Devid Helfgott concert a fire alarm went off, he didn't even notice it and kept playing. As soon as they got the alarm to stop, a car went off in the carpark! It was really funny, but so many people where totally annoyed!

[nicco]

I totally destroyed the piano at the end however. Three strings broke, so there where three notes which only played with one string (that made a very strange sound, and the string rattling inside). Two hammers completely broke and when I played those notes nothing came out.

Haha what the hell did you play

[numerian]

This happened last Saturday at a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert with Yo Yo Ma as featured soloist in the Dvorak cello concerto.  Yo Yo Ma is sitting on an elevated stand with a chair, and in front of the stand is a mic positioned on a two foot high stand.  The mic is intended to capture sound directly from the front of the cello.

The concerto begins, and in the first intense cello passage, the mic falls over with a thud, about a foot away from the cello.  Mr. Ma nudges the mic away with his foot and carries on playing with his usual intensity.  At the next free moment, the concert master sets down his violin, gets up and starts adjusting the mic and tightening the stand screws.  He repositions it as it was - while the conductor, orchestra and soloist are playing away as if nothing is going on.

Sure enough, two minutes later the mic collapses again, this time with an even louder thunk!  Everyone gives up and plays on with the mic lying helplessly at Yo Yo Ma's feet.

End of the first movement.  Stage hands come out and start adjusting the mic yet again.  Yo Yo Ma decides to lighten the mood a bit and starts pantomiming for the audience the behavior of the mic as it tipped over.  Everyone's laughing but of course for the rest of the concerto we all have half an eye on the microphone.

Fortunately nothing else occurred, and in fact the performance was one of the most lyrical and moving I've ever heard of the Dvorak concerto.  Too bad the recording of it was ruined, but Yo Yo Ma certainly showed everyone how a professional keeps his cool during such a situation.

[penguinlover]

I was just turning pages for the pianist during a concert.  She was accompanying a cellist.  I had never seen the music before.  I just kept turning the pages like I should, when came a page that was handwritten, smaller than the others, and not attached.  You get the picture.  As I turned the page, the music fell on the floor.  The pianist didn't have the music memorized, so we had to stop the concert and gather the music, and start again.  I was so embarrased.  The pianist apologized to me later.  Next time, if there is a next time, I will physically inspect the music.

[mephisto]

I attended a recital were Leif ove Andsnes played and a old woman fainted in the 4th mwt of Schubert`s Sonata D 958 He had to stop in the middle and go back stage, but continued later.

[lostinidlewonder]

Haha what the hell did you play

This was during the my yr 12 holiday break about 8 years ago so I can't really remember the exact order but it wasn't VERY furious loud music:

Beethoven: Appassionata/Pathetique Sonata
Albeniz: Triana and Evocation from Iberia Suite
De Falla: Ritual Fire Dance
Lecuonna: Maleguenna
Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag, Peacherine Rag
 
The strings and hammers which broke probably all broke with the first movement of the Appassionata, I remember falling into ragtime to finish it off because with ragtime you can play it on any instrument broken or not I would have played Honky Tonk except I didn't know much of that back then, but the detuned piano would have worked well with that.

I am just glad it wasn't a real ticket selling concert, it was something we did just for fun and because there was nothing to do! People would have thrown rotting fruit and vegetables at the piano if they had to pay to listen to it. I never did tell the hotel that I broke their piano ahaha.

It is bizzare though, when you are so used to hitting a note and getting the sound out of it, when no sound comes out, or you just hear metallic strings rattle when you strike the note, what on earth are you supposed to do? You cannot change technique to make the sound happen, you simply have to skip that note and play different notes! I had a grin on my face through the whole thing, it was a big joke, but it is a concert I will never forget. I just don't think I'll ever have to perform on such a bad piano again (touch wood).

[ramseytheii]

in aiming for the low a, with his right hand, and with me coming in to turn the page, his left hand contacted with my private parts. we both burst out into raucous laughter, and he missed the first line of the next page.

So tell us, what happened after the concert?

Walter Ramsey

[pianistimo]

these are all terribly funny stories.  someone should write a book. 

this one doesn't sound half as funny as it was in real life - but a few years ago some students were performing in a recital - and everyone was serious.  the recital began - and everything went smoothly until all of a sudden the 'rainbow spectrum' was illuminating right and left and basically you could hold a disco party (a bit of twirling dots and stuff).  the audience didn't laugh at first because they thought it was part of the set up.

come to find out - someone had to go backstage and find the guy who was messing with the lights.  but, of course, he fled.  so.  the proper darkness was given again - and the fellow who went to investigate sat back down.  sure enough, it happens twice!  i think they were about to get the police involved the second time.  i can't imagine what the performers thought - when dark and light spots drift across the pages with the colored lights. 

[pianistimo]

i shouldn't tell on my teacher like this - but also at one of his concerts (which are always A+) he started to sweat.  i really don't know how it happend, but all the sweat beaded into one and dripped down to the very end of his nose.  which must have tickled intensely.  i thought he would shake his head around - but he is very conscientious and didn't want to fling sweat onto the audience.  so, there it clung.  tenaciously.  to his nose.  for the ENTIRE piece (or very near the end).  of course, i think he had a rag at the end to wipe his face - but it must have irritated him. 

[pianistimo]

for my senior recital i bought a dress that looked nice but was pianistically a disaster.  too tight for true arm mobility and too long of hem (floor length).  so, i get into liszt and have to work with the dress instead of the piano.  and, my foot keeps getting caught in between the hem and the pedal.  finally, after kicking the skirt repeatedly out of the way (having to do a sort of kick/pedal), i hitched my skirt up a bit - but declined to fold it carefully and sit on it - lest it be a victor borge show.