Jaw Dropping

October 28, 2006 at 7:26 AM

I knew already that we would also be performing Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto tomorrow. I didn't know who the pianist was, though. Whoever he is that's going to be playing with us must be competent, I thought, to be pulling that one off. I heard he was a Van Cliburn gold medalist.

That's all the thought I gave the subject until the first rehearsal with the pianist, who turned out to be not a man, but a blonde Russian girl about my age. She had the ability to spin gold from just a single note on the concert grand. Competent? Competent is hardly the word I would choose to describe her playing; I was having a difficult time keeping her from sweeping me off the stage as I tried to focus on the notes in front of me.

I know next to nothing about today's top pianists, but for some reason I felt that she looked familiar to me. It wasn't until I was describing her to one of my friends that I realised who she was. That girl! The one in the documentary I saw, Playing on the Edge, a couple of years ago--it's her!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am so honored to be sharing the same stage as none other than Olga Kern. And I must say, she breaks my heart with that Rachmaninoff.

From Tom Holzman
Posted on October 28, 2006 at 3:04 PM

How lucky you are to share the stage with great musicians like that!

From Carley Anderson
Posted on October 29, 2006 at 12:55 AM

Wow! She's coming to Syracuse sometime soon, and my dad (for the first time in my entire life) just bought a subscription to our symphony's concert series so WOOT! I will get to go hear her play! :D

Good for you...

From Kelsey Z.
Posted on October 29, 2006 at 1:51 AM

You got to play with Olga Kern???????? JEALOUS!

From Linda Lerskier
Posted on October 29, 2006 at 5:58 PM

Lucky!!

(P.S. Don't push her off the stage. ;))

From Michael Schallock
Posted on October 30, 2006 at 4:32 PM

It was a treat!
And the audience responded wonderfully.
Too bad we were so busy. It would have been fun to watch.

From Tom Steele
Posted on October 30, 2006 at 8:00 PM

I always have prefered the 2nd of Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos. Does that make me a cretin?

From Emily Grossman
Posted on October 31, 2006 at 3:06 AM

Actually, it was my favorite, too. Now that I've gotten to play both, I think it's a toss up, personally.