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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Oregon East Symphony performed =
Tchaikovsky's
1st Piano Concerto this past weekend with Dickran Atamian at the =
piano. He
was VERY unhappy with the piano. Fortunately for me, another
technician was the tuner for this instrument. He complained that =
there was
no "resistance" to the action. Everything was way too =
limber. In
soft passages he had trouble controlling the lightness of his playing =
because
the tone sounded almost before he was ready for it. In loud =
passages (and
there was PLENTY of loud), there was nothing to push =
against.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>He was also unhappy with the way that =
the ivories
kept "drying up." He had some kind of lotion in a sort of sachet =
that he
kept gripping with his hand, and would then run his hands up and down =
the
keyboard to get the keys more slick.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I should mention that the piano =
is an 9'
Baldwin. It has been restrung several years past, but while not =
new, it is
in pretty fair condition. It is not new, but it is kept up, and =
regularly
serviced by a very fine RPT in our area. I don't think that there =
was any
unhappiness about the work of the tech, only the condition of the
piano.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I should also mention that =
Atamian plays at
or beyond the threshold of pain for volume a great deal of the =
time. I am
amazed that there were no strings or hammers broken. He certainly =
did his
best to pound the double H out of it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> He didn't seem to have any =
complaint about
the tuning itself, just the "freeness" of the action. How the =
piano held
it's tuning through his banging is a major miracle. He did tell =
all and
sundry that the piano was a "piece of junk," and the management =
should get
rid of it rather than having any professional try to make music on
it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> His performance was of the =
highest caliber,
and he deserved the standing O that he got. In rehearsal and in
performance it was obvious that he is highly gifted and dedicated, as =
well as
knowledgeable to the point of obsession about the Tchaikovsky =
concerto. It
is just that his concerns about the piano were curious to =
me.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> What steps could a tech make to =
put more
resistance in the piano? Especially between Friday night and =
Saturday
afternoon? Is this a common complaint with artists? How =
about the
business with the keys being dry. I thought that artists wished =
the keys
to be clean and dry so their fingers didn't slide. That is the =
opposite of
what he wanted.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Has anyone had experience tuning for =
Mr. Atamian,
and how was it?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Inquiring minds want to =
know.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ed Carwithen</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>John Day, OR</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>