Some do it literally, we do it figuratively
Benson Boone at the Moda Center
Dear friends of PPI,
As every good parent (grandparent, godparent, aunt or uncle) would know, you sometimes find yourself in uncomfortably foreign territory for the love of the next generation. That is how I came to be sitting in a nosebleed seat at the Moda Center some weeks ago, surrounded by shrieking tweens in tight sparkly shirts (a few middle-aged women were sporting the same, I should add), eagerly anticipating the appearance of a muscled and mustachioed young star by the name of Benson Boone. (If the only “Benson” in your frame of reference is Portland’s famous bubblers and the only “Boone” the guy with the raccoon-skin hat, no need to feel uninformed. The heartthrob in question only made his way onto the music scene recently, thanks to a blend of lucky breaks, including an appearance on American Idol and huge social media momentum on TikTok.)
We won’t be discussing the musical complexity and depth of Mr. Boone’s performance in this newsletter – let’s just say it’s not our field of expertise – but I will confess that I know the lyrics to an embarrassing number of his songs by heart. The young man certainly knows how to get into one’s ear! Also: He does breathtaking backflips from his piano*. Again, not the level of antics I encourage in my children or expect from PPI’s pianists, but the sheer visual spectacle of such unorthodox treatment of the instrument did make me think: Isn’t this exactly what PPI does, figuratively?
Rodolfo Leone
Later that same week, I was sitting in another concert setting, this time at Lincoln Recital Hall (LH 75), hanging onto the lips of Rodolfo Leone, who was teaching a master class at the Oregon Music Teacher’s Association’s annual conference. Although the content of the lecture (“Translating piano technique into expressive sound”) was highly technical, and so advanced that it has no real bearing on those of us who only have access to an upright piano (meaning: it’s only on a grand piano, with its horizontal strings and “shifting” mechanical action of the left pedal that one can apply this teaching), the wisdom and depth of Mr. Leone’s insights had me, and everyone in the room, captivated. Only a true passion for perfecting a craft could lead to such painstaking attention to detail, and such deep devotion to making an instrument sing. But then came the stunner: “Objectively beautiful sound,” Mr. Leone said, “doesn’t exist. The only beautiful sound is the right sound for what you’re trying to say.”
Well, I never. Isn’t that exactly what Mr. Boone’s crooning tunes and my own middling attempts at playing Bach has in common with the flawless cascades of Chopin pouring from a true master’s fingers (like Mr. Leone’s)? Don’t we all just want to say something, reach beyond ourselves, and share in the joy of making and feeling music?
Whether you reach your musical nirvana by physically doing backflips, or by figuratively coaxing your mind, fingers, arms and feet (pedals – especially on a grand!) to coordinate just so to communicate the most complex succession of Lisztian chords, the bottom line is the message. And PPI’s enduring message is: Classical piano is the most powerful storyteller we know. Come hear our (beautiful, although I say that subjectively!) stories by subscribing to our 2026-2027 season here.
* I’m linking to an official video on Benson Boone’s Facebook page. You’ll have to take my word it that it happened in front of my very eyes at the Moda Center. I was too shocked and surprised to catch the moment on camera.