Recital at Editor's
After the loading we went directly to Frankfurt/Main. There is a medical publisher who gives about monthly recitals with a big event of a huge buffet for the audience after the show. He was the cristallization point for Wolfgang purchasing me: He just wanted to offer me to this publisher and get a provision from that. But knowing my "discount" price once he could not sleep any more until he could convince the bank director to accept me as a security for the financing.
The publisher gave an excellent moderation analysing te illnesses of famous composers. For example Robert Schumann got mad and jumped from a bridge over the Rhine river.
Christmas 1991
19th December I came back fromFrankfurt and was allowed to settle down in the Maritim Hotel where I was scheduled for recitals making part of their christmas arrangement.
So I was not too much bothered that all the time waiters were passing by and there was a lot ofmovement around. Sometimes Wolfgang showed up with his students and gave some piano lessons if it fitted in the plans of the hotel; because there was still no "home" for me.....
At christmas eve finally my guests came for dinner and Wolfgang played fine classical tunes with me.
Even if it seems to be sentimental it is wonderful to make wealthy people singing christmas carols! They become kids and theireyes are getting wet with the same songs every year.
On 25th a poet from Bayreuth came to read from his book "Der Ochse im Stall" (the ox in the stall) and other prosa in change with some piano tunes. Also this combination was very much appreciated by the guests because they got impulses for reflection through the poetry and could relax with the music and concentrating on the beauties of life.
During the daytime I was tormented with some new compositions by Wolfgang who was preparing himself for the next show on 26th December. This was to be a "Russian Night" with the climax of the Russian State Ballett performing in the big 1.600 seats hall of the congress center just beside the hotel.
The service staff was neatly dressed with dresses in Kosak style and we played pieces from Mussorgsky's "pictures of an exhibition" and a piece of Stravinsky's "Serenade en la". Then the audience were strolling over to the hall to enjoy the Ballett-Gala. After this my artist friends returned and sat beside me, but not for me: They were allowed to take what they wanted from the left-overs of the big dessert-buffet! And they did!
Then everybody enjoyed my being transported to my new "garage" in the backstage area of the big hall and just for fun we went up the stairs a bit t show this to the friends.
That was the first time I was behind an iron fence! And it was better so because there is a lot of action in the hall and the fence protected me and gave me some rest after a bunch of work.
Lonely
Wolfgang still has no home for me. See what happens. After some days I got bored and was wondering how long I would have to wait still. I am a music instrument and I want to be played, want to sound, want to let out the melodies.........!
But there is he. Lets see what he is going to do this time. He is not alone but is accompanied by a doctor colleague and his wife. Thomas plays the piano, too. They drive me into the hall and acouple of times up and down the stairs for some photos. Everybody maz stand beside me and get his photo done.
Then I do not have to go in the backstage cage any more but may stand at the side of the hall. No own "home-sweet home", yet! But I want to know where I belong now! And why did they put me on the legs?
Well, a pharmaceutical congress is taking place and at the social evening two doctors are playing piano duo with my Yamaha-colleague from the hall and me. Well done! Wolfgang even gets a piano rent from the congress for my work without playing himself. That is comfortable for him.
Meanwhile pianoplan experienced an interesting story he told me. He drove over a very old and deformed stair into the cellar of the old castle "Zeilitzheim" in the surroundings of Würzburg. On that trip he carried no pianos but the thermo-boxes for the hot food of the Maritim hotel during a catering of the same pharmaceutical congress. He was really feeling bad making this "dance" down the stairs being in danger to slide easily. The staff had to press against the thermo-boxes from the side to prevent them from falling off!
Some days later Wolfgang visited me together with a Korean family. The 13-year-old daughter of the grandseigneur played on me phantastically so that this could become a brillant piano lesson. I am sure she got the taste to want one of my sisters from Vienna in the future....
Middle of January finally I can leave this big hall. Wolfgang
practises for the first time to load and unload me all alone in a room of the
Julius-Spital-Wineyard. Here we can stay for a couple of months. We can give
piano lessons and practice all around the clock without disturbing anyone.
That's fine to develop a more regular working rhythm.