Soul Food

I went to Maurizio Pollini's Chopin concert Sunday. I truly nearly cried tears of joy. I can't believe I was there, so close. *sigh* Pollini was flippin' brilliant. He played with such expressivness. That hall was not big enough for the emotions of that man. He would look up to the sky at times and take these deep breaths as if he were inhaling the notes that were exuding from the open grand piano before him. As he was playing, I could hear him breathing deeply and see him closing his eyes so tightly at times hunched over the keys. He would use his right foot to push the pedal and his left foot would shuffle back and forth, sometimes pressing so hard to the ground that he would slightly rise from the seat. I liked how he hummed and mumbled as he played - it was neat how I could hear him singing along to what he was playing. He basically took my breath away. I was mesmerized for three hours. At the end, he received a standing-o and played FOUR encores. It was amazing - especially the last two pieces - he was so just there! He played with such intensity and precision.

Well, I could go on and on... but I'll just leave it at that. What can I say? I heart Chopin and now I heart Pollini. He seemed like such a nice, modest man.