My 60th birthday with Yo-Yo Ma

I cannot believe I am writing about this today, but for my 60th birthday December 1, 1955, I am going to see Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott at the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana on November 18, 2015.  I must admit that my favorite musician of all of the entire time I have been on this earth is Yo-Yo Ma, and I will probably write more about that later.  But seeing Kathryn Stott is an absolute dream come true.  Ms. Stott and Mr. Ma have quite a connection over many years, and when you hear them play you can tell.

I am the proud owner of the Soul of the Tango CD.  Mr. Ma and Ms. Stott perform on the cd together.  I can only say when I was young, my high school teacher Katherine Lemon would always tell me to play like a man, during grand sections of many piano works, and I add that is how Kathryn Stott plays.  It is quite amazing.  

A pianist I admire, has even admitted to cleaning her house to the Soul of the Tango CD.  Though the piano and the cello are solo instruments, it is truly musically incredible, when the two instruments are put together.  Both Mr. Ma and Ms. Stott take their collaboration very seriously, and I can only predict, that November 18th is going to be one amazing evening of music.

Ms. Stott also performs with Mr. Ma on the amazing Paris -La Belle Epoque CD.  Ms. Stt is a Faure expert, and the Faure Sonata in A on this CD is quite amazing.  Take a look at her website www.kathrynstott.com and you can see all of the amazing CDs she has recorded.  I haven't purchased it yet, but I would love to buy her Chopin Favourite Nocturnes, in part because I have studied several of the Nocturnes and simply want to be inspired. Whenever a great musician plays a piece you have played, it allows you to see how much hard work is ahead of you.  Yet it also allows you to dream, even just for a moment, about the challenges, and whether the pianist had those same challenges.  Did this pianist find measure 37 for instance as difficult as you did?  Did this pianist ever take the score, throw it on the practice room floor and scream a loud Charlie Brown AAAAAAARGH!!!!!

In reviewing her website, I realized that she has partnered with Mr. Ma for 30 years, and that her 2015 concertizing celebrates that partnership.  She has also engaged in philanthropic efforts to raise money for HIV research and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.  

I still have the ticket stub for a Yo-Yo Ma Concert I attended in the late 1990s.  I actually met him at a reception following the concert, and he was truly the same as he appears on television and in concert.  He was incredibly gracious, to his fans and so un-assuming.  It was a dream come true believe me.  I add that Yo-Yo Ma also celebrates his 60th birthday this year on October 7.  I wonder if he ever says to himself, so much music and so little time.   Or does he simply think, so much music, but I am going to continue to perform and make a difference every day, I am lucky enough to be here.

Well as pianists we can look at the two foregoing schools of thought when we look at the depth and breadth of the piano repertoire.  In any event, attending this concert is simply going to make me grateful!  I hope my seats are on the left side of the concert hall, so I can learn something about performing from Ms. Stott!

Edward Rosser

Per usual, I spend some time during the week scouting around the internet for interesting articles and websites about the piano.  Today I mention www.edwardrosser.com  Edward Rosser is an extremely gifted and talented pianist.  He would not remember this, but we both attended Albion College beginning in 1973 and 1974.  I left Albion after my freshman year, to attend Michigan State University, and circle back to my posse of high school friends who were there, but I believe Mr. Rosser graduated from Albion.

During that first college year he and I took piano from the same professor, and I believe he had the lesson directly after mine.  I stayed after some time, and even though he was in a closed piano studio, I often heard him play and he played with great musicality and technical ability. I also admit that the piano professor I had that year, traumatized me enough, that I didn't take lessons for many years, and actually abandoned any hope of pursuing any thing with the piano as an amateur or professional.

When I think back about that now, and where I am currently with the piano, I believe, that if you do not jell up with a teacher, you must analyze what you want from a piano teacher, and go out and find it.  You can not let  any person stop your relationship with the piano and music, if you love it.  But back to Edward Rosser.

If you have the opportunity to go to his website, you can see how his career as a pianist has evolved. In his website introductory page he spend some time explaining how his technique has evolved and the time he spent re working his piano technique.  Though many amateur pianists know their technique is not the best, most of us playing for pure enjoyment do not spend any time looking at their actual technique and making changes.

Currently on his website, there is a "clip" of Mr. Rosser playing Chopin's Nocturne in C# minor.  Though I have studied this nocturne, and brought it to a what I thought was a respectable level, after listening to Mr. Rosser's version, I have a way to go.

I add that I love this nocturne, and I believe it was one of the theme pieces in the film, the Pianist.  Do take some time to listen to this clip by Mr. Rosser as it is quite amazing.

In reading his website, and about his life as a full time musician, he is focused on teaching, performing and recording.  However, the most amazing thing is that Mr. Rosser takes his piano to the street, and refers to it as "the great auditorium under the sky."  The piano is such an amazing instrument, and I continually believe that it must be brought to the people.  He mentions on his website and I quote "a musician is truly free to play for the sheer joy of playing, where spontaneity and communication are more valued than perfection; here a musician can try new repertoire, experiment, refine his playing by performing certain pieces hundreds of times...."

I have not purchased any of his cds, but after reviewing his website, I plan to do so.    I hope when I get the opportunity to go to Boston for a law conference, I will have the opportunity to hear him making music on the street.  Amazing!

Anna Vinnitskaya

I had the opportunity to hear the pianist Anna Vinnitskaya, over Memorial Day Weekend.  She played the Brahms Concerto No. 1.  It was truly amazing.  And the additional gem of the evening was having Thomas Wilkins conduct the Columbus Symphony.

Ms. Vinnitskaya played beautifully.  The concerto is difficult, and she "really gave it up" for the fans.  Any work by Brahms is not for the faint of heart, and Ms. Vinnitskaya proved she was up to the challenge.  I particularly loved the second movement, the Adagio.  She played with great feeling and conviction, and there is a feeling of being taken to another place and time whenever you hear this movement.

But for me it is the last movement, because as you listen to you get the feeling you are hearing Bach and Beethoven.  The great composers are intertwined in the theme.  It is so amazing.  I also add that the performances by the oboes and bassoons of the orchestra added so much.  There is much quality musicianship in the Columbus Symphony.

Maestro Wilkins was so touched by Ms. Vinnitskaya's playing, and even wiped the sweat off her brow with his hankerchief  He is one conductor, who can convey so much about his love for a performer, without saying a word.  He's simply amazing.

In fact, Thomas Wilkins' story should be noted.  I read on Wikipedia that he was raised by a single mom.  When he was very young he heard an orchestral performance of The Star Spangled Banner, and that inspired him right then and there to be a conductor.  That is simply so amazing.  It is exactly that type of humble beginning, that reminds us all, that we truly can do and be anything.

Back to Ms. Vinnitskaya, she simply was so connected to the concerto, the orchestra and the director. I often wonder how one digs that deep to play with such great courage.  You can listen to her wonderful music as she records on the French label Naive.  Her first CD contains works by Rachmaninov, Gubaidulina, Medtner and Prokofiev. She also has a third CD dedicated to Maurice Ravel.  So much music to listen to and yet so little time.

As an amateur, it was a beautiful night of piano.  It is amazing what one instrument with 88 keys can bring to the table, especially when played by such a capable artist as Anna Vinnitskaya!

Sarah Catherine Pomeroy, attorney at law and pianist

My daughter Sarah is an amateur pianist.  She is 24 now, and started taking lessons when she was either 6 or 7.  I cannot recall exactly now, as the years have passed.  The piano has always been a part of Sarah's life, and I noticed her musicality even at a young age.

When I was a young mother, I had a book of Disney themes for the piano.  Sarah particularly enjoyed the theme to Winnie-the-Pooh, and the Mickey Mouse Club march.  Our piano was always in the living room, so there was a room completely devoted to the piano  Sarah would often sit on the little sofa in the living room and she often held a wooden stick.  Sarah would point the stick at me and command that I play Winnie - the - Pooh, or Mickey Mouse Club, and she would march around the room.  As soon as I stopped she would demand, that I play it again.

I often would sit her on my lap and point out the keys or the notes, or let her plink out any notes she wanted while I played.  Sarah was fascinated with the instrument, and quickly decided that she wanted to take lessons.

I think she started lessons with the amazing Madeline Karn in 1st or 2nd grade.  Sarah seemed to pick up the piano quickly, and along with her Piano Adventures series of books, I always made sure that Sarah also had a book or piece of music that she chose.  I remember when she had a beginning book of "Peanuts" music, and how much that book influenced her playing.  In fact I think she has a real talent for jazz piano playing, and I could see her taking that talent to another level at some point in her life.

Sarah's lessons continued through school, and sports and marching band.  Piano was simply part of her life, and she never waivered in her commitment to the instrument.  As she progressed, Sarah often practiced while I was making dinner.  I may have been sautee-ing chicken, but I was also listening to a steady progression of Bach, and Beethoven and Schubert, along with Disney tunes and songs from Broadway shows.

Sarah's teacher Madeline Karn did not have a yearly piano recital to my regret, but when Sarah was a senior she did perform a senior recital.  At first, when I saw her ambitious program I started to get heart palpitations, but as I listened to her practice I saw that the program was something she could accomplish.

The evening of her recital I was so touched by the people in attendance, relatives, friends, some of her teachers....it was so incredible.  Sarah started the evening playing Always, which was my mom's favorite song.  My mom had died in 2004, and the recital was in 2008, so she was unable to attend.
It was simply so incredible.

Sarah played Schubert, Scott Joplin, and many other incredible pieces.  She also did her own rendition of Take Five by Dave Brubeck...it was a wonderful evening.

Sarah just graduated from law school at Ohio State this past week.  She is studying for the bar examination now, and I think piano playing will consist of short intervals to play out her stress. Sarah is moving to Washington DC in October and I am going to miss the impromptu dinner time concerts.  She kept the piano side of her on the "down low" throughout law school, but she did play at the law school talent show, and I hope that her law colleagues, saw that it is the piano that really makes her the incredible person she is today.  When she is at the piano, she goes to a deep musical place, to spread the joy that she feels about this beloved instrument.

For some reason when she is at the piano, she isn't Sarah the student, or Sarah the leader, or Sarah the extrovert, instead she is a vehicle to play out the musical message, taking the essence of the music, to the people she cares so much about.  By playing the piano, she is saying, forget everything you think about me and what you preconceive about me, and listen to the music I am creating for you.

Right now she is planning to buy a piano and take it with her to Washington DC.  I would like to think that someday she will trade me, and I will take her small apartment piano to an assisted living facility and she will take my beautiful, black, six- foot Baldwin Grand to a wonderful home where music and the piano will be the center of her family's home and life.

Jule Styne

I made the grand assumption that Jule Styne composed the music for "I'm Flying" for Peter Pan, in part because he composed "Never Never Land."  Well I was wrong.  "I'm Flying was composed by Mark Charlap and the Lyrics were by Carolyn Leigh.

I have a wonderful book of Peter Pan music, that was published by the Edwin H. Morris and Company and distributed by Hal-Leonard.  The book has Mary Martin on the cover, so I would like to think that this book of music is close to the original score.  Mary Martin and I share a birthday December 1, so I have always had an affinity for her musicality, her singing, in a traditional Broadway style.

So what is it about "I'm Flying"  Well it is in the key of B -Flat, which is a relatively easy key to sight-read.  Also, the piece buildings in momentum, as if you were flying while playing it.

In the words of an amateur, it is the kind of piece that "can get away from you."  So if you start off in a slow tempo, you probably shouldn't be finishing in a much faster tempo.  So, on some level, it is a good piece to work on controlling the metronome speed you originally set for yourself.

In contrast, there is the great Jule Styne piece "Never Never Land."  It is a beautiful ballad in the key of F and in 4/4 time cut.  It is a piece that if played as written, it sends a very clear message.  It is also a piece that many play in a manner different from what is written, and that may take away from the story the ballad is telling.  On page 2 of my version, in measure 6 there is a pause that should be emphasized...the lyric is "For once you have found your way there  PAUSE you can never, never grow old.  The pause must be emphasized, because the result is the concept of never growing old, although we all do.

There are also dotted eighth notes followed by a sixteenth, if that tempo is not clearly followed, the measures can sound rather sing -songy....referring to the words "Just think of lovely things, and your heart will fly on wings, ....etc"

I never tire of this ballad, I think it can set the tone for a calm and peaceful set of music, if you are playing after a dinner party.

The book is one I cannot part with, under any circumstances.

Stevie Wonder

April 1, 2015, I made a musical dream come true, as I saw Stevie Wonder in concert at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University.    Since I lived in Detroit for the first 31 years of my life, I was always in love with Motown music.  Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin became my all time favorites.  I remember the first time I heard Fingertips, and I realized this many creates, he improvises, yes that song changed how I viewed music forevermore.

So what is Stevie Wonder like in concert?  AMAZING!  I think his main instrument is the piano, but in reality he is excellent at the harmonica, and is an incredible percussionist.  Until you see him in concert, you just forget about his versatility.  He also is an incredible singer.  He can be Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, a rap singer, again complete versatility.  He also can sing very high and very low, and he has a strong sharing voice between his higher and lower registers.

And most importantly, Stevie Wonder is blind, but through his music he sees.  However, when you are in the middle of his concert is important to be aware that he is bling.  It is amazing how losing one sense, causes the others to come to the forefront with greater magnicification.

I have to admit, I was simply amazed at his stamina.  He got on stage late 845, for an 800 pm gig, but that didn't matter.  He played until mid night with about a 20 minute break.  I kept saying to myself, "what kind of vitamins does this man take?"    His concert was about his Songs in the Key of Life album, which is probably one of the greatest works of art of all time.   I keep saying amazing because I don't know what else to say.  He sang almost every song on the two disc album.  He also had an amazing singer India Iri, (I probably spelled her name wrong) who simply had an incredible, incredible voice.

During the middle of the concert, he also played an instrument that looked like a small electronic dulcimer....like a piano.  Watching Stevie Wonder's hands through the binoculars, I kept saying to myself his hands are a miracle.  Hands that play a synthesizer, a piano, a harmonica, a drum, a cymbal, I don't know, it is hard to put into words how incredible it was.

Stevie Wonder seems to just bring musicians together.  His back up singers were amazing, such incredible voices, and his instrumentalists were phenomenal. I kept repeating over and over again, I cannot believe I am actually here.  The end of the concert was so amazing because he just played one major hit after another and again, I thought his level of energy was beyond words.

I brought my children 24 and 21 to the concert along with my husband.  We all agreed that it was one of the best concerts we have ever been to.  One thing Mr. Wonder does, even in a large concert venue is connect with the audience.  He has a great, kind of goofy sense of humor, and when he is performing it feels like you are the only person in the room.  So, so, amazing.  He also brings his concern for social justice issues to the concert stage.  His themes of racial equality, peace, consideration for others still came through, loud and clear throughout the concert venue.

In his song es une historia, there is a line where he sings  " I am singing with love from the heart"  That is the essence of his music.  There are several chambers in his heart, and all of the chambers of his heart contain the love he has for everyone, and he expresses that through his amazing music.

I know Stevie Wonder is more than just a pianist, but I feel like a part of piano playing soul comes from listening to and identifying with his music.  His music has always made my life so much better. When my children were very small, I would always play CDs in the car.  I had the 4 CD set "At the Close of the Century" and I played those 4 cds a lot when my children were 10 and 7.  I believe quite wholeheartedly, that his music contributed to the why behind my children being musical.

I would love to meet Stevie Wonder, and I know I won't.  But if I did, I would tell him that his music has truly made an amazing difference in my musical life.  I actually have a piano book of his songs.  They are not easy, and the rhythms are challenging.  Yet when I plink through any of them, I feel as if I am one step closer to knowing something deep about Stevie Wonder.   In his song Magic there is a line...'if it's magic than why can't it be ever lasting"  That basically sums up his music, it is magic and it is everlasting.

Thoughts about Earl Wild

Earl Wild

You can expect to see several posts from me about purchasing my grand piano and the great pianist Earl Wild.  Tonight is a combination post.

I always dreamed of owning a grand piano, glossy black, six foot long and beautiful.  I had a Baldwin piano growing up so I thought, I will buy a Baldwin Grand.  Interestingly, my favorite pianist is Emmanuel Ax, and I read once that he was a Baldwin artist.  He probably is actually a Steinway artist, but somewhere I had read he was a Baldwin artist and that was good enough for me.  So I decided to buy a Baldwin Grand.

I shared this dream with my daughter Sarah when she was about 9 years old.  I told her that we were going to buy a grand piano, and her response was always "okay mom" and she would clap.

One day after a busy day at St. Michael School, Sarah and I drove over to Graves Piano and Organ, the Steinway and Baldwin dealer in Columbus, Ohio  I was in jeans and a sweat shirt, and for some reason Sarah was in similar dress.  I walked into the store, and told the receptionist I was looking at grand pianos.  I think from my dress she thought I wasn't serious.  But I was.  What she didn't know is that I had $10,000 in cash from my maternal grandmother.  My grandma had kept a $10,000 savings bond with the sole purpose of contributing to my grand piano fund.

I was in a large show room, and Sarah and I were looking at Steinways, Baldwins and Bechsteins.  Several men walked into the show room, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Earl Wild was with them.  I knew he lived in my home town of Worthington, and I knew he was a famous pianist.  He looked at me and Sarah and asked me "are you thinking of buying that piano?"  I told him yes, and he just smiled.  He didn't say anything else, and he didn't comment about whether my choice was good or bad.  I add that the piano was $25,000 and that was going to be my financial limit.  Just seeing Earl Wild at that point in time, was amazing.   I've always taken that chance encounter as a sign, I guess a musical sign.

In any event, I had my piano tuner go over and take a look at it, and he confirmed that the piano met my requirements.  I add that this was the most incredible material possession I have ever purchased.  Owning a grand confirmed to me, that I was a good enough pianist to actually own a grand piano.  After I made the purchase and before delivery, I would wake up in the middle of the night, and literally pinch myself.  I could not believe that my biggest material dream was coming through.  So incredible.

Now whenever I go down the stairs in the morning and look in the living room and see my piano, I know that all is right with the world.  No matter what peaks and valleys I have in life, knowing that I realized my dream, with the help of my grandmother never ceases to amaze me.  I add that my grand mother was widowed at 49 and went to work in a factory to support my mom.  She always purchased savings bonds, and bought one for me that grew to $10,000.  She almost gave it to me to help with law school tuition, but she knew I wanted to buy a grand piano, so she kept that bond, for me.  She died in 1993 and did not see me realize my dream.  I believe I purchased my piano in 1999 or 2000.  I will have to confirm that with my piano tuner.  But I am a spiritual person, and I know she can see that I DID purchase that piano!!

My mom did see me buy this piano, though which was so incredible.  My Dad had Alzheimer's by that time and didn't know me, but my mom was truly happy that I made the piano purchase, happen in her life time.  When she came over to my house right after it was delivered, I could tell how truly happy she was for me.  As a parent, you can always be happy when your child realizes a major dream.

So, what has owning a grand piano done for me?  I think I play better because it is a better instrument.  I also like the full sound the piano produces.  It literally fills the room with beautiful sound.  It also makes me feel like I am a real musician.  I know I'm not, I'm just your crazy, piano playing fool, but when I sit down at that piano, I am transformed.  I play with more feeling, and more attention to detail.

There will be many more blog posts about my piano.  Suffice to say, I am a proud owner of the greatest of instruments.  It may not be a Steinway, but it a beautiful sounding instrument that makes every day seem filled with peace and joy.