MOZART’S PIANO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1938, Page 2

MOZART’S PIANO

PLAYED AFTER 150 YEARS.

A unique musical event was the gala performance in the residential palace of the festive city of Salzburg, when Mozart’s piano was played again after nearly 150 years. The owners of the instrument on which Mozart played from 1780 until 1791 had it restored and arranged a concert in the same hall where the composer had given piano recitals when a child. Immediately after this' performance it was placed in the Mozart Museum. The audience which attended this function felt the wheel of time turned back to the eighteenth century, as white-wigged, quaintly-costumed footmen placed lighted candles upon the instrument. Thin, pathetic notes, reminiscent of a clavichord or cembalo, rang out. It was a strange sound, not to be compared with the rich, sonorous voice of a modern piano, and yet there was such a natural liveliness, a metallic freshness and originality about the tones that the longer one listened the more one appreciated this appropriate rendering of Mozart's music. All those present were impressed with the feeling that they heard Mozart's pieces as he had heard them.. The piano appeared best suited to accompany the human voice or other instruments, as the trios and songs on the programme showed. A further point of interest was the pianist’s way of handling the delicate old instrument: a soft-handed, subtly-bal-anced technique, distinguished by a light, careful touch, gently pressing, not beating, the keys, and avoiding any application of force.