Zimerman

Last night, David, Dan and I traveled to Logan to have dinner with John and to hear Krystian Zimerman, a concert pianist whom John has extolled as currently "the best in the world".
It was exquisite!! I have never heard a pianist play so beautifully!! Every note was a musical experience in and of itself. There were no boring places in the hour and half that he played. His silences were as musical as his notes. He evoked emotions with each nuance. I could have listened for several more hours and that is saying something for someone who loves country more than classical! It was like being in heaven.
We had seats on the third row and could watch his fingers. He seemed to be an expert in the techniques that Gary has been teaching John.
The acoustic hall was wonderful as well. Every sound could be heard clearly and distinctly in the 450 capacity room. What a treat!! Well worth the four hours of traveling and the midnight return time. I wouldn't have missed it for anything!
Zimerman brings his own piano...a Steinway...quite a feat! He almost cancelled last week, because the authorities damaged the piano thinking that such a large crate might be carrying a terrorist! Needless to say, he was pretty upset about that!
What an amazing thing...to have this calibre of pianist come to Logan, Utah when the only other place he played was Carnegie Hall and one other major place. Dennis is to be thanked for recruiting him. Hopefully, he will come back some time!
Speaking of wonderful pianists, Gary praised John for his progress this year. He thinks John is one of his best and that is saying a lot coming from Gary Amano! We were very pleased. One sad note: Ralph is leaving to go to Weber State....less work, more money....so he can spend more time with his growing family. John says they have 17 new freshman coming in and one less faculty member with Ralph leaving. That will make next year very difficult on everyone!
Wish all of you could have been there!!