Once pianoplan told me that he had given an extraordinary demonstration of his abilities. A huge holding of truck owners called HANSETRANS in Hamburg asked for that demonstration. Of course it was done with the 570 kg Imperial to make a better impression. On 7.00 a.m. they showed up in front of the main building, Wolfgang fully dressed with tails, went up the 15 steps of the stairs, set up the Imperial in the entrance hall and gave a little recital after warming up his fingers since it was -5 °C outside.

Director Holger Max Adolff and his staff were impressed how it is possible to move such a big part with sensible virtuoso fingers and he bought a pianoplan, later some more... Through this decision they proved that they are a young and dynamical company who are using modern technology and take care of the health of their workers. The money spent will pay off soon just for the better health of the staff!

Then the daily job: students, the singing nurse, Karl, who was singing folkloristic songs accompanied by Wolfgang and mayself. They even did a recording.

All that papers on my lid, sometimes the cat "Mi" (shortage for Mikado) jumps on me and leaves some prints of his feet or even plays a bit walking over my keyboard.....

Normally I am not superstitious, would rather think 13 is a lucky number.

But on Friday 13th May 1994 a crying bundle enters the house which is put onto me often for sleeping! Have I become a babysitter now or what? - Well, by the time I am getting used to it and I am grateful to have such a responsible job. Everybody is focused now on the new baby. Christa-Maria is getting the breast and we all have to be silent when she sleeps. So I have less work again.

the bigger part of the work is done by the Imperial anyways now. He goes to original places like right beside some stoves in a train wagon factory for a TV production. After that he had to be cleaned from the grey dust with pressed air! Concert agencies rarely ask for a smaller concert grand like me (225 cm) but prefer the Imperial with 290 cm for more voluminous basses.

But sometimes my size is of an advantage. When I was to play for the Würzburg film festival in acinema in a premiere of a movie I could just pass under the low ceiling at the top of the stairs - which the Imperial would never have made. Since it was raining Wolfgang had to work on the wet rubber chains for a quarter of an hour with the hair-dryer again. That was absolutely necessary for that slippery marble stair to avoid slipping down!

How fast we can be was shown in a tour to Wiesbaden abotu 120 km from Leinach. To drive there and set me up and drive back Wolfgang took just ridiculous three and a half hours.

Another time the distance was much longer and it was a super-tour: Wolfgang started in Leinach at 13.30 on Sunday, got the Imperial from Berlin at 1.00 a.m. from the "Academy of the Arts" where it has been played for a "Free Music Production". From there directly he drove to Freiburg in the south west of Germany to bring me to the tent music festival. We were there punctually at 11.30 a.m. and I could stand in the most beautiful tent, all over decorated with little mirrors, very nostalgic!

For three weeks there was a bunch of concerts with me. The sign though Wolfgang put on me was not respected. It said "Do not put anything on the piano". When he came to take me back I was fully packed with Styropor stuff. He would never rent me there again without non-stop surveillance.

other whole month I was with the Youth festival at Bayreuth again. Someone had transported me without permit of Wolfgang, ounted my legs wrong and made some scratches. this brought a nice reward from the assicuration.....

In September 1995 I was allowed to play with the orthopedic doctors´Jazz duo again in the Marienfestung in Würzburg. This time Wolfgang got the job to play a classical recital on me, too.

Quarrels

For some time now the orders were going back and the financing would not stop because of that. One strong reason is that the orders for rental of the Imperial from Bösendorfer in Vienna finished.

Also on 7th October 1995 another girlie came to the family, Mia Chiara! Again the basket with the baby on me and make her sleep well on Bösi........

Like always it hits the small. After several hard talks between Wolfgang and Ute they decide to sell the week-end-house and me, Bösi. Several ads are placed in papers. One in the FAZ, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Several people call and show up but only half interested. A japanese couple comes from Bamberg to meet me. The woman plays on me for some time. But my sound is "slightly too bright" for her. Well, it is impossible to discuss about taste! When the worst of the economic situation is rescued by the sale of the week-end house Wolfgang has stopped hoping to sell me.

But then the first violinist of the Detmold theatre pushes over to the maestra a copy of the magazine "The Orchestra" and says, pointing on my ad: "Didn´t you always want such a piano?". She is surprized and calls. So it is arranged that she meets me after the trade show "Klassik-KOMM" 1996 in Cologne at the piano store Sund in Mülheim/Ruhr. She likes me and she buys me after a little refinish by the technicians of Sund.

30th October 1996 Wolfgang brings me to the quiet house of Friederike. She is a charmant woman who sings a lot, too. With her now I want to have a more settled part of my life.

I would like to make a citation from the marvellous song of Richard Strauss "Der Morgen" (The morning):

"...stumm werden wir uns in die Augen schauen, und auf uns sinkt des Glückes stummes Schweigen".
("..mute we will look into each other´s eyes. And the silence of luck will sink onto us")

My variation of this is:
"Mute I will allow to play on me, And will only sound but never write any more......................"