Great pics!

Thanks for the review Matt. You are quite the wordsmith! It was great having you come visit.

Note to forumites: Matt is a very low-maintenance houseguest. Does what he's told the first time. Pure joy to have around!!!

I enjoy attending these parties, even if only vicarously. It all sounds like a marvelous evening, one that probably had to end sooner than all might like. Greetings to those I've already met and wishes to meet the others some time.

Big Al

quote:

Originally posted by Big John:
Thanks for the review Matt. You are quite the wordsmith! It was great having you come visit.

Note to forumites: Matt is a very low-maintenance houseguest. Does what he's told the first time. Pure joy to have around!!!

Like, please put the seat back down?

OH, WAIT, that might not matter to youse guys!!!

Well, I'm still en route, hence no pics or review from me yet. As I'm prone to doing, I worked in this concert trip with a visit to my Dad in northern (lower) Michigan. I hadn't realized until John announced the concert how close South Bend is to Grand Rapids, Mich. - the city I usually fly to for my home visits. I was also able to pull in my old friend Julie, who recently moved back to GR from California. I hadn't seen her for probably 8 or more years. Then the visit with my Dad was great too. Got to meet my oldest brother's fiance and my Dad is holding his own at 92 going on 93 this April. So, all in all, it was just a wonderful trip.

Matt describes the meetings so aptly. Although it was the first time I'd met both Matt and John in the flesh, it didn't seem like it. These online friendships, qua, yes-they-really-aren't-imaginery are the neatest thing. I didn't know too much about Rach-on prior to meeting him, but he was a really neat guy, too. He reminds me a lot of my son Peter - talented pianist who succumbed to the draw of a more practical course of study - biology and chemistry.

Well, the concert was pretty spectacular - a veritable marathon of virtuosity. First a word about the Toradze studio at Indiana University. From what I garnered, it's a unique, or at least unusual, concept. Although it is part of the university and the music program, the students there are not necessarily in regular degree programs, but rather are working toward earning certificates. The students, or the serious ones anyway, are heading for careers as concert pianists. Toradze harkens from Georgia, the country, not the state. He is a short broad, man known for his passionate playing and teaching style and volatile temperament. Tyler (Rach-on) was telling me that he is a night owl who often imposes late night lessons on his students that sometimes go into the wee hours of the morning, and it is apparently not uncommon to see the students bleary and teary-eyed in the morning after a long and harsh all-night session. But, based on what we saw and hear on Saturday night, the method seems to pay off.

Three concerto virtuosic concerto pieces were played and a Lizst Sonata - phew! The orchestral parts were played on the piano in some cases by a student and in others by a faculty member. A good number of the students also come from Georgia, but there was also one Canadian and one Russian - notably, no Americans. The Canadian, a young woman of around 22 years, played the first movement of the Rach II. She was magnificent. It was a little odd at times, though, having the orchestra played on the piano. Toradze's Prokofiev was fiery, wild and magnificent. Tyler had commented prior to his playing that he can be kind of heavy-handed in his playing, but man, if a piece ever called for heavy-handedness, this was it. I guess it's not surprising that his Prokofiev is what has defined him as a pianist. The "orchestra" was played by the beautiful, Georgian pianist, Tika, who had accidentally "friended" a year or so ago after seeing me among John's FB friends and thinking she knew me from IU. What a task it must have been to play under the maestro. She did a fantastic job of keeping up with him.

So, this is it for now, while I'm waiting to board my 3rd flight after a 2+ layer at Dulles (yargh!)

Hopefully, I'll get some pictures up tomorrow.

Okay, more pictures.



When my friend Julie and I first arrived, John proceeded to show us his amazing organ and all its tricks. He could be the maestro in any movie theatre, ball game or roller rink. What fun that instrument is - it even has a whole choir of monks.



Not too long after arriving, it was time to make our way to the concert hall. As Matt said, John very thoughtully bought flowers for all of the performers, and we made a motley parade across campus as we all carried boquets.



Matt looked particularly fetching with his



After the concert, we came back to John's for more food, drink, music and good company.











John demonstrated his piano lounge/cheat sheet technique - very impressive.

John played this really pretty piece which came from a movie about a prince????



Angel Rose was a non-stop source of entertainment. She had a real penchant for carrot sticks.



I seem to be missing the Angel/John portrait. When I get back home, I'll find it and post it.



Have to include the around the piano shot, even though it's kind of blurry.

Thanks for sharing the pics -

In one, there seems to be a note down on the piano - is that a player piano BJ?

yeah lilylady. it's a pianodisc player system. I think in the last move something got strapped down too tight and the plungers on the solenoids don't retract all the way (although the notes still sound). So some keys stick but when you shut it off they either raise up on their own, or you can jiggle them or if that doesnt' work you just slide a butter knife down in between the strings and push on the raised hammer.

I don't use the player much, but it's fun from time to time as it has 650 songs on 10 libraries built in so no need for disks.