The Race to Find a Rach III Pianist

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto is one of the most difficult pieces a piano player could ever play. Most pianist wouldn’t even attempt it. It drove David Helfgott, the Australian prodigy portrayed in the movie Shine to a nervous breakdown. I’ve heard it. I’ve seen the music for it. My wife, a pianist (though she’ll never admit it) tried playing it really slow, and still couldn’t do it. It’s just that hard.

So what do you do when you’re the Oregon Symphony’s president, and you find out that your pianist that was scheduled to play the piece in your three-concert series has crippled his right hand so bad after the first concert that he’s unable to play? You panic, and then you call all around the country to find a last minute replacement that flies into Portland an hour before concert time after not playing the piece since March. Full story. Thanks Isacc for the link.