Adjusting to different pianos

[escort]

Hello,

My instructor has a Howard/Kawai piano, and the touch is extremely heavy.  I've never played another piano that even comes close to feeling as heavy as this one does (this includes a number of Steinways, Yamahas, etc...). 

Obviously, a grand with the lid up in a small room will probably get a good deal louder than my little Baldwin Acrosonic back home.  However, I've also read that a grand with a heavy action is better for playing pianissimo and fast repeated notes, and with other grands I've played, this holds true.  This is not the case with the Howard.  The lightest sounds you can make seem to be about an mp on my piano back home, and it takes a good deal more force to get the keys to sound at all. 

The Howard has a very powerful sound, so playing fortissimo is definitely not a problem.  So it still has an impressively wide dynamic range.  The problem is, is that some pieces I've been told to play with a barely audible pianissimo, and "gesture" at the motions, rather than make it fully audible to the audience.  This doesn't seem to be entirely possible to consistently do with this piano, so my question is:  with pianos like this, would you raise the level of volume until all notes fully sound?  Or would you chance some notes not sounding, in trying to get the effect of that barely audible pianissimo to the audience?   

Also, any suggestions for getting softer sounds on a piano like this, or what your routines are in adjusting to different pianos in general are welcome. 

I apologize if my post is confusing or vague.

[rc]

This is an interesting question...  I'm not too sure how much effect gesturing has on an audience, of course I could care less about it in the recording I listen to, so I'm inclined to think it would be irrelevant - but I'm pretty sure I wind up doing some sort of 'gesturing' when I'm into a piece anyways.  I'm against contrived motions, but it's entirely possible that this has an effect on the audience's appreaciation of the music.

I'm not sure if the dynamic effect is entirely relational, depending on contrast - or if there's some objectivity, that there would be a difference in something truely being barely audible that couldn't be achieved through contrast.

I think the effect to attain in the audience is one of quiet intensity right?  To have the audience sort of holding perfectly still to hear what's being played, having their rapt attention...  My inclination is that the effect of dynamic contrast is more important than note-perfection.  I think the best aim is to try and walk the line between being as quiet as possible, but not losing so many notes that it becomes incoherent, a note here or there would be acceptable.

I'm curious to hear others ideas!