Pianist, age 92, plays Bach

  • From: Peter Klein <pklein@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lug@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, leica@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:50:31 -0800

This weekend, we attended a lecture-recital by 92 year-old pianist Randolph Hokanson. At this age, he no longer does virtuoso pyrotechnics. But he can still play, and well. Bach is his favorite, the music he "chooses to live with" at his stage of life. Over the course of three weekends, he talked about and performed the entire Book I of "The Well-Tempered Clavier." What a delightful gentleman! Completely engaged with life, music and people. A real inspiration.


I took the Canon 50/1.2 along. I didn't shoot while he was playing, but I got something that looks as if I had. When intermission concluded, he struck a chord to get everyone's attention, and I was ready:
http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/musicians/L1002312HokansonChord.htm

And here he is at the conclusion of the concert:
http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/musicians/L1002314HokansonBow.htm

The recital took place at the Sherman-Clay piano store in downtown Seattle. The overhead spot-lighting was not ideal. The background is a mural-sized photograph of a concert hall mounted on the wall behind the piano. Actually, we were sitting on folding chairs in the showroom floor.

The 50/1.2 Canon also came in handy while riding to the concert:
http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/L1002300KatyaNiteDrive.htm

And finally, this is what happens when you let glass artist Dale Chihuly get his hands on a Steinway:
http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/temp/L1002319-prf.jpg

It's very, uh, green. . .
http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/temp/L1002302-prf.jpg

M8 at 320 ISO and minus 1 stop EV compensation. 50/1.2 Canon LTM for all but the "inside the piano" shot, which was taken with the 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH.

Enjoy!
--Peter


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