Blood on the floor at Alice Tully Hall as pianist gives his all
NewsThe Russian pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski, Director of Pedagogy and Narrative Musicianship at Bronx School for Music, was giving his first public performance of Rachmaninov’s fourth concerto at Alice Tully Hall on Friday night when his little finger caught the edge of a key.
‘Before I knew it,’ he said, ‘I just saw blood gushing from my finger.’
Concertmaster Eiko Kano, of Pegasus: The Orchestra, handed him a black handkerchief. ‘I had to estimate every tutti that the orchestra was playing to wipe the keys and try to stop the bleeding, and every time I had two bars between my entrances I grabbed the handkerchief and wiped the blood off the keyboard,’ he said. Meanwhile, he was having to refinger the whole piece as he played…
Gushing report here.
Bravo to him! “Tis but a scratch”. Makes my nose bleed ( and consequently crimson beard )in the cor anglais solo of New World many years ago pale into insignificance !
I no longer recall the name of the pianist who participated in the Milwaukee Symphony’s performance of Messiaen’s Turangalila Symphony in the 1980s, but I remember conductor Paul Polivnik taking her hand and showing us in the audience that her fingers were bleeding rather profusely. As if we were was not already in something of a state of shock from the music!
WOW!!! Just wow! I was there, and you could barely tell that anything was wrong. Konstantin played spectacularly – as he always does!
Accidents do happen, but it’s really not necessary to hit piano keys so hard on today’s pianos that you hurt yourself, and then your next and future performances in jeopardy. Most sane pianists avoid anything that might cut their fingers, like knives and graters in the kitchen, so that they can play. A cut finger for a pianist is as bad as a sore throat for a singer.
This is certainly amazing and quite impressive – but shouldn’t the first and foremost consideration be the health of the artist? Would it really have damaged the music if he had gotten proper medical attention and *then* repeated the movement? Just saying…
I’m betting it was a bloody good performance too!!
Konsta is a close friend. This is typical of him. Nothing will get in his way. Bravo.
I don’t understand. Piano keys are not sharp.
Depends on how well they’re tuned.