A story about Rachmaninov Prelude in C-sharp minor

March 21, 2008 at 11:55 PM

About five years ago, when I was still "slaving" at PricewaterhouseCooper in Malaysia, a colleague of mine wanted to start learning the piano. After attending a Sunday concert at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, my collague called and asked if I could come along with him to a piano shop. He wanted to buy a piano and asked if I could "test" them for him. I gladly obliged.

So we arrived at the piano shop. I played all the upright pianos within his budget. About half an hour later, I picked one for him. While he was paying for the piano, the shop manager came out from his office at the back and started to chat with me. He then took off the leather cover of a grand piano and asked me to try it. It was a Steinway concert grand!

It was the first time I ever touched a Steinway. As I sat down, my mind was wondering what to play. My fingers however automatically rested themselves on the 3 A notes. I started playing Rachmaninov's prelude in C-sharp minor. As I hit the notes... WOW! The notes ring throughout the whole shop! I proceeded to play the piece and before I knew it, I played the whole prelude from memory.

For an ABRSM Grade 7 dropout to play the prelude from memory on a brand new Steinway concert grand, it was the highest moment of my piano life!

That is why this prelude means so much to me. After my AMEB Grade 8 violin exam, I plan to find a piano teacher and learn the prelude properly. The problem is, I'll need to practise on a proper piano. This prelude will totally blast the speakers of my digital piano!

For those that haven't seen this YouTube video, it is an absolute must! I bet you've never seen the prelude played this way before. I might ask Jo (in the video) if the wooden blocks are for sale!

From Terez Mertes
Posted on March 22, 2008 at 10:05 PM

What a great story, and what a great link! I saw the video last year, I think, but had just as much fun watching it again. I liked your descrip of what a Steinway sounds like.

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A story about Rachmaninov Prelude in C-sharp minor

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