Cabinet minister releases classical piano CD (+video)
mainAs part of his campaign to promote safe driving, the German tourism minister Peter Ramsauer has published ‘Adagio im Auto’, a CD on which he plays soothing classical music. Ramsauer, 57, reckons that Mozart can stop accidents and save lives. Among other tracks, he plays the ‘Elvira Madigan’ movement of Mozart’s 21st piano concerto (K467) with a Berlin Opera orchestra. Watch a clip here.
And here’s a better example of his technique in a Ch0pin etude. A bit stiff, but it’s tough getting your phrasing perfect on a TV talkshow and a poorly-tuned Yamaha.
Fresh from last night’s Guardian-sponsored debate on the art of rhetoric with Sam Leith and Mary Beard, I have to compliment you on your telling use of zeugma – ‘on a TV talk show and a poorly-tuned Yamaha’.
For devotees of this sort of thing (I mean the ministerial musicianship, not the rhetorical device) I recommend the early-80s recording of the Mozart concerto for three pianos with the solo parts played by Christoph Eschenbach, Justus Franz and Helmut Schmidt (yes, as in ‘Helmut Schmidt’). All three artists gave their fees and/or royalties to Amnesty International. Of course the third solo part was written for an unprecocious 11-year-old, whereas Schmidt was by all accounts a seriously competent pianist (see for instance http://www.welt.de/kultur/article2787322/Als-sich-Helmut-Schmidt-an-Mozart-versuchte.html), but all the same it was a touching enterprise.
Oh, yes! I still have the original release. Did it ever come out on CD?
Pachelbel’s Canon would be better.