Out & About

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The New York Sun

PIANOFEST IN THE HAMPTONS

The wheezing air conditioner in Guild Hall did not interrupt the final concert of Pianofest, an intensive summer program in East Hampton where America’s most promising concert pianists come to study and perform. The playing was passionate and precise, but this was not a straight recital: Pianofest’s founder, Paul Schenly, brought the audience straight into the challenges of the pianists by delivering individual critiques. Some of his bon mots included:

“Let me hear the bells — not apologetic bells, but glorious bells.”

“You were marvelous, and we have blood all over the keys to prove it.”

“You’re such an elegant player, but sometimes you do pretty things when it’d be better to be simple.”

“Play majestically! That means no aggression. You want power but not force.”

The program consisted of daily practice at the Pianofest house, in which every room — including the kitchen — contained a piano donated by Steinway. Pianofest also included lots of time to interact with Pianofest’s patrons, mostly New Yorkers who spend the summer in the Hamptons.

After Monday’s concert, the students arrived at Annalise Soros’s home, “Little Tuscany,” to mingle: It was easier for some than others. Xin Tong, who majored in electrical engineering at Yale before deciding to focus on the piano, was spotted walking around the grounds alone. Mr. Schenly brought him over to a table of guests and told him in no uncertain terms that he would have to master the art of conversation to succeed as a pianist. Within moments he was smiling and sharing details of his senior project, which involved programming a robot to identify whether a human voice was male or female.

“These students are so focused, so serious, so this experience for them is important because they’re having their first glass of wine, getting their first number from a girl on the beach, learning to appreciate their first dirty joke,” Mr. Schenly said. There may have even been a summer fling or two. Lots of hours were spent playing video games such as “Halo 2”, “Starcraft,” and “The Legend of Zelda.”

Of course, the young pianists said their agile hands make them excellent video game players.

agordon@nysun.com


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