Steinway Hall
Wednesday September 3, 2008 -- 9:03pm
Posted by Bar


What a day!  I got to do something that I never imagined possible.  I 
went to New York City, walked down 57th Street to the north side at 6th 
Avenue where Steinway Hall houses some of the best pianos in the world, 
I walked in, said hello, and then walked upstairs to play Vladimir 
Horowitz's piano - the very one that he played for his reunion concert 
in Moscow in 1986.  I arrived at Steinway Hall half-an-hour early for my 
appointment (which I scheduled last week after receiving an email 
inviting me to play the piano at some point between the first and 13th 
of September) and as luck would have it, no one was in the showroom when 
I got there, so the receptionist told me to go on up and play it.  
Kazow!  It was FABULOUS!  I played for an hour undisturbed.  In fact, 
the guy who showed me into the private room where it is being shown off, 
showed me to the piano, pulled out the stool for me, left the room and 
pulled the door closed behind him so that I could play alone.  It was 
like a dream come true.  Honestly.  I had planned in advance that the 
first piece I would play would be "Write Me a Love Letter" and it was 
the right thing to do.  The key action was so remarkable.  So easy and 
yet so powerful.  The bass end was so deep and precise.  I confess that 
I started to cry as soon as I started to play, and cried for much of the 
hour that I was in there.  Part of my emotion came from the joy of 
playing such an incredible instrument.  Part of it came from knowing 
that Vladimir had played that very same piano for many of the finest 
concerts ever given on the piano.  Part of it came from knowing that I 
would probably never again play such a fine piano.  Part of my emotion 
came from just being me (which is to say I cry easily when sitting at 
fine pianos!) and also from hearing my songs as clearly as I've ever 
heard them played.  Horowitz's piano is so incredibly responsive, and as 
much as I love its power, it is its ability to sound the quietest notes 
that really moved me.  

As I played, I kept thinking, surely this piano needs a good home, 
surely it wants to live with someone who could love it as much as I do!!  
I wondered if maybe it was tired of traveling all over the world and 
that maybe it wanted to slow down and stay in one place for a while - 
like in my studio!  I found myself daydreaming that the Steinway people 
had a hidden camera and that they were observing all of the traveling 
pianists who came to visit this piano.  I imagined that while they 
watched, they would be looking for the one person who really understood 
how wonderful this particular piano actually is, and that because I was 
that person, they would simply give it to me!!  

I also imagined Horowitz enjoying my joy.  I felt surely he understood 
how much I was moved by his extraordinary talent.  Perhaps I loved his 
playing so much because I could tell that he loved the piano as much (if 
not more) than I do.  

When I left the studio space that housed this exceptional piano, the 
only person I saw was the maintenance guy who was polishing a smaller 
grand piano just outside the studio door.  He smiled at me as I walked 
out.  I thought to myself that the piano I had just played and which I 
would love to play regularly was worth more than he and I make over the 
course of an entire life time.  The idea made me laugh.  Out on the 
street, I stood outside Steinway Hall and said out loud to no one that 
today had been a pretty great day.  I had done something I had always 
dreamed of doing and something that I would probably never do again, and 
it felt really good.  

I didn't ask how much the piano cost or if it was for sale.  It's 
priceless and it's out of my range, but boy is it worth whatever they're 
asking.  

Any patrons out there??

:)

Have a great day everybody.  Up here, the kids are going back to school 
tomorrow.  I'm glad that the fall is here.  Things tend to settle down 
when September comes around, and I like that.  

Much love,
Bar