Beethoven's Back Yard

[shostakovich]

On browsing Beethoven's Back Yard on the home page I discovered an event that turned out to be a great find. Thanks B.com. This evening Franz Mohr spoke at a nearby piano company. He was chief technician for Steinway, now retired, but pretty active. He attended primarily to Horowitz's piano from 1962-1989. He also was employed by Rubinstein, Serkin, Gould, Cliburn. More recently he has been with Maurizio Pollini.<P>He spoke on his experiences with great charm and humor, putting behind-the-scene anecdotes out for our enjoyment. He also referred to Andras Schiff. If Pollini or Schiff comes to your area, check your local Steinway dealer to see if Mohr might be giving a talk. He's delightful. By the way, our Eric was there, so you might get a second opinion.<BR>Smiling Shos <P>Beethoven's Back Yard seems to be the Greater Hartford area just now, so Connecticut B.commers should be on special lookout. Things like Franz Mohr's talk may have wider appeal.<p>[ 05-23-2002: Message edited by: shostakovich ]

[EricMichaels]

I totally agree, Shos. Franz Mohr was a joy to listen to. He has a unique perspective on the piano world, and he's genuinely thankful for his role in it. If you have a chance to see him speak, don't pass it up.<BR>One of the biggest joys of the evening, however, came from a 12-year-old boy in jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers sitting at Vladimir Horowitz's piano and making the instrument sing. Amazing. I wish I had gotten his name...<P>Eric