Random Musings

Ok, so picture this:

Soundcheck was supposed to start at 6pm on Friday evening (the night of the full-dress rehearsal).

I arrived backstage a little early, and was all ready to step into the Esplanade Concert Hall to start the soundcheck, but strangely, no one else was there yet.

(They either hadn’t arrived yet, or were still in their dressing rooms.)

So I opened the door that leads me right onto the ECH stage, and I see the Steinway concert grand situated dead centre of the stage, under a slightly dim spotlight.

And there seems to be absolutely no one else in the concert hall.

Perfect scenario.

So, sensing that this is probably the only chance in my life…I walked up to the Steinway and sat on the chair as if I were Evgeny Kissin about to start a recital.

And I touched the Steinway keys for the very first time in my life.

I actually thought for a few seconds about what would be the first song I would ever play on a Steinway concert grand.

So in the end, I played “Faithfully” by Journey, which is actually one of only a few nice songs I can play without score.

So imagine, me alone up on stage in the Esplanade Concert Hall, under soft lighting with the spotlight on the piano, with no one else in the entire concert hall…and playing “Faithfully” all by myself and letting the notes fill the entire space of the concert hall.

One does not easily forget such experiences.

Strike off another one of those “Things I Hope To Do Before I Die” items on my list!

It’s amazing how I managed to strike two of these items off in just a span of two days.

I’m very thankful for that.

…

So, what did I think of the Steinway concert grand?

Well, to be honest, I was a bit…underwhelmed.

Serious!

Maybe I expected too much from it, but I was seriously underwhelmed by the feel of playing on a Steinway concert grand.

To be honest, I think the keys feel not much different than a Yamaha grand.

(Well, this is coming from someone who isn’t exactly a fantastic pianist lah…so take it for what it’s worth.)

But honestly, I thought the Steinway’s keys didn’t feel extraordinarily special.

But what I would say is that the Steinway seems to offer the pianist a very wide capacity for expression.

Somehow you can sense that the Steinway gives you so much more room to express what you want to express, be it in terms of volume or tone quality.

The piano seems to be constructed in a way such that you can bring out a nice palette of sounds and dynamics if you play it in the right way.

It has that capability.