How being a “good student” could enhance your concert experience
Like all roads leading to Rome, there are various ways of approaching the glorious destination called The Solo Piano Recital. Even just beginning to argue that any given way is the right way defies the purpose, because the objective is one and the same: to have a packed hall with an enraptured audience listening to a spellbinding soloist, regardless of the “level of preparedness” each individual brings to the show.
I recently had a compelling exchange with PPI’s new Board Chair, the erudite Tony Greiner, who insists that there’s something to be said for coming to a recital with (his words) “fresh ears”. No expectations, no assumptions about the program or the performer … simply letting the music wash over you in the moment, without having done any homework, so to speak. We know that many of our loyal audience members belong to this school of thought, and we love you for the fact that you know and trust that what we bring to the stage will be stellar. Your fresh ears make your reactions to the programs unfiltered and spontaneous, and affirm the particular power of a live event. Also: Life is busy and who wants to be assigned homework before a recital?
It has to be said, though, that knowing what you’re going to be listening to has some real power, too – and given that the piano officially has the largest repertory of any other instrument, even those of us who dedicate our lives to studying it cannot possibly know every single thing about every single piece (or come even close to it)!
This is where the carefully curated newsletters, diligently researched program notes and impassioned pre-concert lectures that Bill Crane and I lovingly prepare for you come in: The more one familiarizes oneself with the piano repertory, the more meaningful the music becomes and the likelier one is to fall even deeper in love with it. Trust us!
By listening to the music at home, attending the pre-concert lecture and reading the program notes to get some sense of the historical background, cultural context and underlying musical structures of the pieces to be played, you open your ears to a whole different level of listening. You prepare your mind for closer engagement, switching from simply registering to actively anticipating. A really good analogy? Navigating a new city with your nose in the map, versus walking a familiar route while on the lookout for favorite landmarks. Going turn-by-turn on Siri’s command will certainly get you to your destination … but knowing the route means you truly get to take in the sights. You get to greet the dogs, smell the roses, admire the skyline. You don’t get lost in the woods, because you’re recognizing the trees!
To help familiarize you with the musical routes we’ll be walking in the 2026–2027 season, we’ve decided to build a playlist for each recital on YouTube: easily accessible, fun to stream while you’re doing something else, yet engaging enough to watch with full attention at your own leisure. The versions of each piece we chose is not meant to be definitive or exemplary – they’re simply subjective references meant to introduce you to each artist’s selected repertory by means of a solid model.
You can listen to the playlists by clicking on the following links (also embedded on our website):
Embrace your inner Boy Scout and approach PPI in a state of readiness! You’ll reap the rewards!
PS: A loyal subscriber pointed out to me that we’ve been pushing subscription sales hard without thanking those who already committed to the season months ago. Of course, this is an oversight! Please accept a wholehearted THANK YOU to the passionate piano lovers who already subscribed. We truly cannot exist without you. Now … forward this email to a friend and let’s expand our troupe!