<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2769" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><SPAN class=890055217-09122005><FONT = face=Arial size=2>A lovely article from today's Financial Times of London (ft.com)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><A href="http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1b588c30-6859-11da-bfce-0000779e2340.htm= l">http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1b588c30-6859-11da-bfce-0000779e2340.html</A>= </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=bigHeadline>Peruvian piano tuner's alternative = medicine for a Steinway grand</SPAN><BR><SPAN class=all>By Marguerite Wolff = <BR>Published: December 9 2005 02:00 | Last updated: December 9 2005 = 02:00</SPAN><BR><IMG height=20 alt="" src="http://news.ft.com/c.gif" width=1></DIV> <P = class=fp>From = Ms Marguerite Wolff.</P> <DIV id=artAd style="DISPLAY: block; VISIBILITY: visible"> <TABLE align=right border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=center align=right> <SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>// <![CDATA[ if (showAd != 0){var box = new = Advert("box",thisPage.ftsite,thisPage.alladparams,thisPage.issec,thisPage= .wrap);document.write(box.adHTML);}// ]]></SCRIPT> <SCRIPT = src="http://ads.ft.com/js.ng/site=ftcom&pos=box&sec=1hom&= amp;artid=1homuka&sei=XXXX&sectr=XXXX&subj=ON03&f= tfund=&13=&14=&17=&18=&transId=1134150653= 609&rsi=undefined&params.styles=artimg,arthtml&asset=st= ory&referrer=http://news.google.com/"></SCRIPT> = <NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV> <P>Sir, One of the dreads of a concert pianist is to face playing on a = piano affected by humidity. The piano can be good, bad or indifferent, small = or large, the effect is the same; sluggish sound and enormous difficulty in = playing rapid and filigree finger work.</P> <P>I have just returned from Peru giving concerts and was going to give = a concert at the residence of the British ambassador, playing an exacting programme of Chopin-Liszt.</P> <P>It was a beautiful sunny day. Everything seemed perfect - a = delightful, co-operative ambassador, beautiful music room, above all a Steinway = grand that had been tuned and a humidifier used in the room. But alas, there was = tremendous humidity. I was in despair. The tuner returned and I begged him to use = all his skills and time.</P> <P>He then took the entire action out of the piano and put it on a stone = step on the terrace in the sunshine for a few few hours, and said: "That will do = more than anything I can do."</P> <P>That night at the concert the piano played like a dream.</P> <P>Marguerite Wolff,</P> <P>London W1B 1NS</P> <P> </P></BODY></HTML>