Rest in peace dear friend , birba

[visitor]

Some may remember him , or.
 knew him beyond just posting, had feared this was the case for a while but did read this .
Will post a translated bio of him
He was a great guy and super talented and generous artist and I am better having known him and had as a mentor at time too  even if virtually
"Farewell to Maestro Steven Roach | TusciaTimes.eu (.it)" https://www.tusciatimes.eu/addio-al-maestro-steven-roach/

[visitor]

Steven Roach, born in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, in 1947. He began formal study at the age of 5 and at the age of 10 he performed the Haydn concert in D major with the Symphony Orchestra of his hometown. At 16, he won the national “MEA” competition for young pianists, which was followed by his debut at New York's Cami-Hall in 1964.

After his high school studies he moved to Italy to continue his musical studies at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. After graduating with full marks, he attended master classes with great masters such as Guido Agosti in Rome and North Carolina, Renzo Silvestri in Salzburg, Vincenzo Vitale in Naples and Wilhelm Kempff in Positano. In 1973, he won the bronze medal at the Geneva International Competition (one of the most prestigious in the world) followed by concerts in Switzerland, France and Italy.

In 1976, experimenting with a pedagogical system that has always interested him, he develops a teaching method for children, combining his own ideas with those of Suzuki and Orff which ended with an interesting essay of children aged four to seven.

In 1978 he returned to New York to pursue his first and second degrees at the Manhattan School of Music, indispensable studies for teaching in US universities. At the same time he perfected himself in organ by becoming the official organist of a large Catholic Church in Brooklyn. During the same period he also dabbled in improvisations and jazz music in various Broadway venues.

His interest in various musical areas also leads him to the field of classical dance. In fact, with the arrival of Mikhail Baryshnikov at the American Ballet Theater, he takes part in a competition for "first pianist" (a position that requires not only great experience as a solo pianist but also a spontaneous predisposition to improvisation for rehearsals) and comes second in the ranking. The employment proposal comes after two months, but in the meantime he had decided to return to Europe.

His inclusion in opera began in 1981 at the Teatro Sperimentale in Spoleto.

In 1983 he was pianist and second director of the choir of the RAI in Rome and pianist in orchestra, also practicing in orchestral direction. From 1986 to 2010 he was part of the artistic staff of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. In addition to working as a "coach" and pianist for rehearsals, he also plays in the orchestra and participates in concerts both as a soloist and in various chamber music ensembles. At the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome he has conducted the orchestra several times and accompanied in concert great names of opera, such as Alfredo Kraus, Leo Nucci, Elisabeth Connell, Giusy Devinu, Caterina Antonacci, Rockwell Blake, and many others.

During his employment at the Rome Opera House in 2003, he took a year off to teach, as a "Guest Professor" at the "Gedai University" of Tokyo, following which he was regularly invited to Japan. , and in particular in Nagasaki, to give Masterclasses to singers and pianists

[dogperson]

Yes, I fondly remember Birba as someone who was very knowledgeable and graciously willing to share.  I hope he knows he was an asset to this forum

RIP

[visitor]

Yes, I fondly remember Birba as someone who was very knowledgeable and graciously willing to share.  I hope he knows he was an asset to this forum

RIP

presence he and Rachfan had and hole they  left is immense and I miss them dearly

[ted]

Very sad news. I corresponded with birba briefly some years ago but had no idea he was such a prestigious musician. I remember his insightful tutorial and advice here, regrettably terminated because he took to heart some silly people perpetrating a hoax on the forum. I tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to continue. He was intrigued by my wife’s amateur choir being able to give a fine performance of the Brahms requiem and asked many questions about music in New Zealand.

Thanks, visitor, for the information, much has now become clear. What a terrible few years for pianists: David April gone, birba gone, Jarrett paralysed, Tom Brier paralysed, when is it going to end ?

[lostinidlewonder]

Sad to hear. I always thought birba was a woman. We had a couple of scuffles on pianostreet and I never stopped reading his name as bibra (we have a lake named bibra where i live).

Birba I am sure you will enter a place where you no longer need to play the piano because the most amazing music ever experienced is all around you and plays through you. May all your tears be wiped away, no more death, suffering, crying, or pain.

Sorry for your lost visitor it seems you knew birba on a deeper level.

[visitor]

Sad to hear. I always thought birba was a woman. We had a couple of scuffles on pianostreet and I never stopped reading his name as bibra (we have a lake named bibra where i live).

Birba I am sure you will enter a place where you no longer need to play the piano because the most amazing music ever experienced is all around you and plays through you. May all your tears be wiped away, no more death, suffering, crying, or pain.

Sorry for your lost visitor it seems you knew birba on a deeper level.

He kept a low profile , humble I'd say , his renown and respect  was well warranted, but you'd never know it as some have said   and,it was only after a few years of correspondence , and some Coaching and help w prep of some pieces and performances
that details of his background became clear to me however I  could tell early on  from his playing ,when he actually shared it  and insights that there was a deep rooted excellence that was only possible thru hard work to develop a rare natural talent and years of experience
He had shared some clues that his health wasn't as good as could be and I had some brief exchanges we usually did even until just shortly before his passing away.
He wasnt one to not follow up with me so when a Few check ins went silent (and for longer than his usual delay due to travel back from or to Japan , and /Italy , I feared I knew what happened and prayed for him his loved ones.

[visitor]

Very sad news. I corresponded with birba briefly some years ago but had no idea he was such a prestigious musician. I remember his insightful tutorial and advice here, regrettably terminated because he took to heart some silly people perpetrating a hoax on the forum. I tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to continue. He was intrigued by my wife’s amateur choir being able to give a fine performance of the Brahms requiem and asked many questions about music in New Zealand.

Thanks, visitor, for the information, much has now become clear. What a terrible few years for pianists: David April gone, birba gone, Jarrett paralysed, Tom Brier paralysed, when is it going to end ?

Thanks ted
And I agree and your sharing of his interest in your wife's choir music and music  of NZ doesn't surprise me,that was classic Steve alright .

His genuine reactions to music of lighter fare and uncommon idiom always made me smile here's some  of one of his messages to me of a recording I made in early 2017 /highlights from a note from him

I was sort of wishing you were going to post your rachmaninov.  For some reason i had written tchaikowsky in another note which might or might not reach you.  Anyway, i've been thinking a lot about Japan lately... It really IS like a third fatherland to me.  At any rate your performance touched me.  Many would say it's banal and insipid, but it really does touch you if you would just admit that it does!  And you play it with phrasing and sfumatura, which you usually dont hear over the radio.  It was like the last touching scene of a romantic movie, where the hero and heroine split up for good.

I too take comfort in that no more pain , music beyond description all around him , he can play what ever he wants in the heavens better than he ever wanted .

He was a gem.

[emill]

I am just so sad to hear this news, the passing of BIRBA, someone from among many who welcomed us to this forum with his genuine generosity. He loved to teach, and he even made teaching videos for my son, Enzo which he posted here in PS. We corresponded several times and he told me his health was bothering him, so much so that, he had to leave his "second country", Japan, sometime in early 2015, where he held a teaching job.  Just can't believe that he is gone.

Goodbye, my friend. May you be happy, wherever you are.  We will miss you.  Thank you, for the inspiration and guidance that you gave my son, Enzo. As his father, I will forever be grateful to you.

[emill]

x.x.x.x.x.x.... I remember his insightful tutorial and advice here, regrettably terminated because he took to heart some silly people perpetrating a hoax on the forum. I tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to continue. .x.x.x.x. 

Yes, he mentioned this, and it gives you a glimpse of how seriously he took things and how sensitive he was, especially for things & events related to music. I think many of us took the hoax of ladypianist & Becky (circa 2011) in stride as one of those things, but Birba seemed to have been really hurt by the way he and many of us were led on a merry-go-round. He had a good number of exchanges with ladypianist whom I felt Birba took an admiration (so did a good number of us) for her piano skills and posts here.  She pretended to have qualified for the Concours International the year when Argerich won.  She gave a convincing story that she had to withdraw for health reasons.